I’d like you to think about the automation of labor and its impact on the future of jobs and the changing economy. I’d like you to consider the role artificial intelligence plays in the this development, and how these changes to the economy might also change our attitudes towards machines, for better or worse.

Consider any of the links above; here are a few more: The Economist considers the current rise of technological unemployment in light of the history of technological innovation over the industrial age. PBS’s article on the robot economy looks at similar issues with robotics and automation in the US. Much of this is based on the Frey and Osborne study linked above. To what extent will engineering jobs be protected from the automation of labor? To what extent will these changes in the economy impact the engineering profession?

The New School held a conference on Digital Labor in 2014. You can see many of the lectures on Youtube, covering issues of how digital labor is represented (or, more often, fails to be represented) in the economy. Consider, for instance, how much money Facebook makes from your shares and likes, or Google makes from managing your email activity. To what extent do you deserve compensation for this time and effort?

One video in particular focuses on the rise of “sharing economy” in services like Lyft, Uber, AirBnB, which allow methods for sharing rides, rooms, and and other travel services. For instance, Uber functions much like a taxi service, but since it operates outside the taxi regulation system it also escapes many of the fees traditional cabs have to pay. The talk contains lots of data about how these services reflect genuine economic innovation, and to what extent they mask the costs by evading the regulatory oversight and passing the costs onto the users participating in the “sharing”.

I encourage you to do your own research into the many facets of technological unemployment, and to write about how automation and robotics impacts the industries where you hope to make a career.
Martin & Schinzinger (textbook): Job Elimination (pg 258) Video: Humans need not apply Frey and Osborne – The Future of Employment

Additional resources: New School Digital Labor Conference