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Magnus Nilsson's avatar

On Bill de Blasio - absolutely crazy and the type of state planning initiatives that will backfire badly. In this example it will lead to the demise of existing companies and instead newly formed, fully automised companies will be the winners. One needs to embrace a regulated market economy - de Blasio is looking for something else.

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John Sumser's avatar

The real problem is that it is difficult to define automation, particularly in knowledge based service jobs. While a few jobs will be completely automated, most will have the mundane bits slowly 'intelligenced'. Automation doesn't really happen at the stroke of a pen, it hapens gradually, like ivy growing on the walls of a building.

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Azeem Azhar's avatar

Beautiful observation. Which is why these things that focus exclusively on automation don't do the trick.

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Brandon's avatar

De Blasio’s plan is batshit and a rip-off of Andrew Yang. He had a true plan for the future and you should have him on the podcast!

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Azeem Azhar's avatar

I have already had Andrew on the podcast. Some time last year - links here https://hbr.org/podcast/2018/10/ubi-automation-and-society-in-the-u-s

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Natalia Popova's avatar

That does seem to be a rather simplistic view and one that could stifle innovation. There's no point in demonising automation - what is needed is a true big picture approach, systemic change. A recognition of the value of unpaid work (a radical change of parental leave valuation, especially, IMO) and the creation of a more fluid approach to (adult) education and up skilling. I'm a big fan of UBI, but I don't think any economy is ready for this on a large scale, but pathways can be made towards it. More and more people have side gigs (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/side-hustle-grows-uk-jobs-insecure-work-henley-business-school-a8431486.html), so the market is already going in that direction, so why not work in tandem with that instead?

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al@pitt.edu's avatar

This post raises important issues, though simple solutions like regulating automation directly will not solve the real problems. A useful resource for looking at the deeper picture can be found in a recent McKinsey report that shows how minority groups will be the biggest losers when machines replace people in some jobs, See https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Public%20Sector/Our%20Insights/The%20economic%20impact%20of%20closing%20the%20racial%20wealth%20gap/The-economic-impact-of-closing-the-racial-wealth-gap-vF.ashx

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