The Latest on Tech, Jobs, and Wages from Andrew McAfee

MIT IDE
MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy
1 min readFeb 26, 2017
Andrew McAfee

What are the opportunities and challenges related to the future of AI, and what steps can we take to ensure that the technology is beneficial? IDE co-director, Andrew McAfee, addressed these critical issues at the recent Future of Life Institute workshop.

In this session, part of the The Beneficial AI 2017 Conference, McAfee highlighted some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about AI — what’s going on, what will the impact be, and what should we do? In response, he explained the gradual “hollowing out” of mid-level jobs over the past 40 years as a result of greater productivity achieved with less labor. Specifically, the “automation of routine work” driven by technology is impacting a vast sector of employees globally. The impact is economic, social, and political, and McAfee offers some possible solutions — education reform, reduced regulation, and expansion of Earned Income Tax Credits — that will ease the pain points that are already taking hold.

Watch the full presentation here.

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MIT IDE
MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy

Addressing one of the most critical issues of our time: the impact of digital technology on businesses, the economy, and society.