1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910795558403321

Autore

West Darrell M. <1954->

Titolo

The future of work : robots, AI, and automation / / Darrell M. West

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, D.C. : , : Brookings Institution Press, , [2018]

©2018

ISBN

0-8157-3294-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xiii, 205 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

331.1

Soggetti

Work - Effect of technological innovations on

Robots

Automation

Artificial intelligence

Social contract

Labor

Electronic commerce

Information technology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-194) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Part I. Accelerating innovation -- Robots -- Artificial intelligence -- The Internet of things -- Part II. Economic and social impact -- Rethinking work -- A new social contract -- Lifetime learning -- Part III. An action plan -- Is politics up to the task? -- Economic and political reform.

Sommario/riassunto

Looking for ways to handle the transition to a digital economy. Robots, artificial intelligence, and driverless cars are no longer things of the distant future. They are with us today and will become increasingly common in coming years, along with virtual reality and digital personal assistants. As these tools advance deeper into everyday use, they raise the question--how will they transform society, the economy, and politics? If companies need fewer workers due to automation and robotics, what happens to those who once held those jobs and don't have the skills for new jobs? And since many social benefits are delivered through jobs, how are people outside the workforce for a



lengthy period of time going to earn a living and get health care and social benefits? Looking past today's headlines, political scientist and cultural observer Darrell M. West argues that society needs to rethink the concept of jobs, reconfigure the social contract, move toward a system of lifetime learning, and develop a new kind of politics that can deal with economic dislocations. With the U.S. governance system in shambles because of political polarization and hyper-partisanship, dealing creatively with the transition to a fully digital economy will vex political leaders and complicate the adoption of remedies that could ease the transition pain. It is imperative that we make major adjustments in how we think about work and the social contract in order to prevent society from spiraling out of control. This book presents a number of proposals to help people deal with the transition from an industrial to a digital economy. We must broaden the concept of employment to include volunteering and parenting and pay greater attention to the opportunities for leisure time. New forms of identity will be possible when the "job" no longer defines people's sense of personal meaning, and they engage in a broader range of activities. Workers will need help throughout their lifetimes to acquire new skills and develop new job capabilities. Political reforms will be necessary to reduce polarization and restore civility so there can be open and healthy debate about where responsibility lies for economic well-being. This book is an important contribution to a discussion about tomorrow--one that needs to take place today.