Are robots going to put us all out of work? Drivers are at risk of being replaced by autonomous vehicles and administrative staff face competition from intelligent assistants like Amazon’s Alexa. Whereas in the past automation largely affected low-skilled jobs, smarter machines and the deployment of artificial intelligence could threaten many high-skilled workers in future. The threat of automation has been anticipated for many years – has it finally arrived? Why are so many commentators and politicians fearful of smart machines? Is growing inequality an inevitable consequence of new technology? Are we merely blaming robots for the deeper problems of the economy?

SPEAKERS

TIMANDRA HARKNESS 
journalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, FutureProofing; author, Big Data: does size matter? 

MATHEW LAWRENCE 
senior research fellow, IPPR 

KEVIN MCCULLAGH 
founder, Plan; writer and commentator  on design 

JOEL TITO 
programme manager, AI and the future of government, Centre for Public Impact

Rage Against The Machines: Is Automation a Threat to Jobs?

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Rage Against The Machines: Is Automation a Threat to Jobs?

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