Work In The Age Of Robots

“We are in the beginning of a new technological epoch, one that is characterized by the infusion of automation into everything.” — Mark P. Mills

Are robots finally replacing humans? Does the emerging age of artificial intelligence and automation mean we will soon see “peak jobs” and the need for a Universal Basic Income?

In WORK IN THE AGE OF ROBOTS (Encounter Books; June 5, 2018)—part of the “Encounter Intelligence” series of short-format, single-subject essays promoting advances in innovation, education, and technology—Mark P. Mills answers these questions and more.

As Mills shows, improving productivity—reducing labor-hours per unit of product or service—has been the hallmark of economic progress for centuries. “As every economics student learns,” says Mills, “rising productivity is precisely what creates economic growth.”

But advances due to robots and AI, some say, will be fundamentally different because digital machines are ready to revolutionize the nature of work in nearly every sector of the economy, not just one or two at a time as in the past. Mills argues that the lessons of history and the realities of technologies suggest that, despite yet more disruption, the overall result will be net job gains and faster economic growth.

From the emergence of the automobile to technological advancements in farming to the computer revolution and more, Mills shows that productivity and employment have grown together for 130 years and there is no reason to believe that present day will be any different. “In the end,” he predicts, “there will be more, not less, work in the age of robots.”

For more information or to obtain a review copy, contact Michele Jacob at mjacob@manhattan-institute.org.

About the author

Mark P. Mills is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a faculty fellow with the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, and a strategic partner in a tech venture fund.