First published 2020
Daniel Susskind tackles the looming reality of technological unemployment. The Oxford economist argues that artificial intelligence represents a fundamental shift from past automation. Unlike mechanical looms, combustion engines, or early computers, AI systems no longer require human-like thinking to surpass human performance. Machines now diagnose illnesses, draft legal contracts, write news reports, and compose music. Susskind draws on nearly ten years of research to show why this wave of technology differs from previous disruptions that economists dismissed. He contends that widespread job displacement is inevitable as AI capabilities expand. Yet Susskind frames this transformation as potentially beneficial rather than catastrophic. Technology could deliver unprecedented prosperity and solve humanity's ancient challenge of ensuring everyone has enough to survive. The real work ahead involves distributing this wealth fairly, limiting Big Tech's growing influence, and creating purpose in lives no longer organized around traditional employment. Susskind offers a pragmatic and hopeful vision for navigating this transition.
Genres: science, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence, academic
Vibes: hopeful, pragmatic, thought-provoking
Tropes: pragmatic-vision, technological-disruption
Audio CD · Macmillan Audio