A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond
New technologies have always provoked panic about workers being replaced by machines.

In the past, such fears have been misplaced, and many economists maintain that they remain so today. Yet in A World Without Work, Daniel Susskind shows why this time really is different. Advances in artificial intelligence mean that all kinds of jobs are increasingly at risk.

Susskind will argue that machines no longer need to reason like us in order to outperform us. Increasingly, tasks that used to be beyond the capability of computers – from diagnosing illnesses to drafting legal contracts – are now within their reach. The threat of technological unemployment is real.

So how can we all thrive in a world with less work? Susskind will remind us that technological progress could bring about unprecedented prosperity, solving one of mankind’s oldest problems: making sure that everyone has enough to live on. The challenge will be to distribute this prosperity fairly, constrain the burgeoning power of Big Tech, and provide meaning in a world where work is no longer the centre of our lives.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and signing, all welcome.
Date: 21 January 2020, 17:00
Venue: Corner of Catte and Holywell Streets
Speaker: Dr Daniel Susskind (University of Oxford)
Organising department: Oxford Martin School
Organiser: Oxford Martin School (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events@oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Host: Oxford Martin School (University of Oxford)
Part of: Oxford Martin School Events
Topics:
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/a-world-without-work/
Booking email: events@oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Hannah Mitchell