Labor in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

A Tale of Two Classes

A Tale of Two Classes: Labor in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, features Sway Ventures Founding General Partners, Bill Malloy and Brian Nugent. Together, they led a thought provoking conversation with panelists Yaad Oren, Technical Advisor at SAP.io and serial entrepreneur and the primary inventor of the technology behind Apple’s Siri, Babak Hodjat, CEO and Co-Founder at Sentient.

During this interactive panel, they discussed how AI-driven automation will transform the economy over the coming years and decades. The challenge for investors, founders and policymakers will be to update, strengthen, and adapt our policies and our thinking, to respond to the economic effects of AI. Beyond the hype, there are very real reasons to be concerned about the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence.

• What sectors/industries/jobs are most at risk? What does a future without the need for much human input look like?
• Is the workforce bifurcating into two classes, a class of highly paid and highly skilled “alphas”, and a class of low-paid and low-skilled “betas”?
• How do we make more work into creative work? And how do we design new approaches to learning and education so that the students and workers have the resources to evolve alongside technology?

Things we referred to at the event (that you are definitely going to want to click on):

• The Obama Administration’s Roadmap for AI Policy (Full Report)
• Beijing Wants A.I. to Be Made in China by 2030
• How human traders will beat the machines
• The Stanford Driving Team is a group of graduate students, researchers, and corporate partners who are working to develop new algorithms and techniques for autonomous driving in unpredictable urban settings.

And of course, a shoutout to our portfolio companies doing amazing things around AI. (P.S. did we mention they’re hiring!)

• Fetch Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots that operate safely in commercial and industrial environments shared by people.
• Roam Analytics transforms patient pathway analysis through a machine learning platform designed for healthcare.
• Uber is finding better ways for cities to move, work, and thrive.
• Haven builds collaborative logistics technology for end-to-end shipment management. From procurement to payment, Haven TMS helps you ship smarter.
• LiveAction develops IT visibility solutions designed to simplify network management. Initially developed to aid the US Department of Defense in the operation of its networks, LiveNX (Network Experience) features an innovative visual display, real-time big data analytics and deep control of routers and switches for unparalleled network administration.

This event was brought to you in collaboration with IMN Total Alts 2017. Total Alts reflects the growth and dynamism of the wider world of alternatives and will provide LPs with access to insights from the sharpest minds in Private Equity, Venture Capital, Private Debt, Real Assets, Hedge Funds and so much more!

Originally published at swayvc.com on October 11, 2017.