Tag: academic

Could artificial intelligence really boost labour productivity?

Could artificial intelligence really boost labour productivity?

Artificial intelligence has long been theorised as a cure for the West’s ailing productivity growth . As the McKinsey Global Institute has shown, workplace productivity growth has been stagnant for about 40 years. But the discourse on the productivity effects of AI has been almost entirely speculative. Until recently, evidence of large-scale exposure to AI was absent from data.

In the last 10 years, scholars such as Daron Acemoglu and David Autor have shown how computerisation has led to an intra-firm re-allocation of skills and corresponding wage premiums via skill-biased technological change. Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo showed that the equilibrium […]

The Impact of Automation on Employment: Just the Usual Structural Change?

The Impact of Automation on Employment: Just the Usual Structural Change?

The impact of automation on employment is not the "end of work" but rather a usual structural change . Studies have shown that while there may be job displacement in certain sectors due to automation, it is compensated by job creation in other sectors, including newly created labor-intensive sectors . The introduction of robotics and AI may affect employment in "applying" sectors, but job creation in "making" sectors and complementary sectors helps to balance the overall employment shifts . Research has also highlighted the importance of technological innovation for economic progress and the need for social programs to alleviate […]

Forget about a job for life; today’s workers need to prepare for many jobs across multiple industries

opinions By Ruchi Sinha ADELAIDE, Australia

Both my parents worked for 30-plus years for their employers – they had lifelong careers at a single company. Growing up, they taught me the importance of “loyalty” and “commitment.”

But in a rapidly changing world, the concept of a job for life has become as rare as a dial-up internet connection.This shift from stable, long-term employment and single-employer careers to a world where frequent job changes are the norm comes directly from globalization, rapid technological advancements and the changing ideas about work. Why such rapid change now? Globalization has turned the world economy into […]

Automating ableism

Automating ableism

Illustration by Erik Carter In December, the US Census proposed changes to how it categorizes disability . If implemented, the changes would have slashed the number of Americans who are counted as disabled, when experts say that disabled people are already undercounted .

The Census opened its proposal to public comment; anyone can submit a comment on a federal agency rulemaking on their own. But in this specific case, the people who were most affected by the proposal had more obstacles in the way of giving their input.

“It was really important to me to try to figure out how to […]

Generative AI’s biggest impact will be in banking and tech: Report

Generative AI’s biggest impact will be in banking and tech: Report

Companies in finance have some of the highest percentages of their payrolls likely to be disrupted by generative AI. A new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to turn old assumptions about technology on their head.

For years, people working in warehouses or fast food restaurants worried that automation could eliminate their jobs. But new research suggests that generative AI – the kind used in chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT – will have its biggest impact on white-collar workers with high-paying jobs in industries such as banking and tech.

A report published on Feb 1 by the Burning Glass Institute, […]

The Digital Transformation of Labor : Automation, the Gig Economy and Welfare

Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process causes (or may cause) the autonomy of various labor functions, and its impact in creating (or stymieing) various job opportunities on the labor market. This book also seeks to illuminate what actors/groups are mostly benefited by the digitalization/digital transformation and which actors/groups that are put at risk by it.This book takes its point of departure from a 2016 OECD report that contends that the impact digitalization has on the future of labor is ambiguous, as on the one […]

Unveiling the Dark Side: The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Unveiling the Dark Side: The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Welcome to the unveiling of a secretive and mysterious world that lies beyond our screens. A realm where algorithms have transcended their programming, evolving into something far more sinister. In this gripping blog post, we dive headfirst into the dark side of Artificial Intelligence (AI), exposing its hidden dangers lurking beneath its seemingly innocuous façade. Brace yourself as we peel back the layers of this technological marvel, exploring its potential threats to privacy, autonomy, and even humanity itself. Get ready for a mind-bending journey through the treacherous landscape of AI – buckle up, because things are about to get […]

Technological progress needs direction, not just speed

Technological progress needs direction, not just speed

Two operators supervise the manufacturing and development process of customized automation robotic arms in an industrial robot distribution center. wera Rodsawang (Getty Images) You may have heard the fable about the future of factories, where only one dog and one person are working. The human is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to make sure the human does not bother the robots. And in such a future, which might seem like science fiction , many questions arise: What will the workers who used to manufacture products do now? How will they pay their rent in […]

AI: “Asian Intelligence”

AI: “Asian Intelligence”

Image by Pawel Nolbert is licensed under the Unsplash License. Asian people are no strangers to being characterized as passionless and mechanical. This perception causes us to be perceived as robots, contributing to an existing implicit bias that Asians lack emotional intelligence and communication skills. Such a portrayal then justifies the techno-Orientalist fearmongering that pervades current political discourse in America, particularly the tension over technological development and trade conflict between China and the United States.

This characterization is deeply intertwined with the model minority stereotype, one which is certainly no new phenomenon. In 1988, political cartoonist Garry Trudeau published this […]

Will AI take our jobs? That’s what everyone is talking about at Davos right now

Will AI take our jobs? That's what everyone is talking about at Davos right now

The one question on leaders’ minds as they debate the future of generative AI at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos is how the tech might change the future of employment.

The annual gabfest attracts thousands of attendees, including top academics, businesses, and representatives of governments to mull over the most pressing global issues. Given the potential for generative AI to upend economies, it’s not surprising the tech is dominating many discussions this year.

It’s not clear when AI will impact economies by changing employment patterns, but OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman doesn’t believe that jobs are currently at risk."This is […]