10.2 - Labor Replacement
Artificial Intelligence Policy
π§ Think:
How do we re-organize society and the economy in light of AI-sparked labor market disruption? Or do we even need to - will the labor market take care of itself?
π Read:
- Frey and Osborne, 2017. βThe future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?β
- Frey and Osborne, 2023. βGenerative Al and the Future of Work: A Reappraisalβ
πΊ Watch:
- CGP Grey, βHumans Need Not Applyβ
π§ Listen:
- Tyrangiel, 2026. βAmerica Isnβt Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobsβ Podcast: Plain English with Derek Thompson.
π Browse:
- Tyrangiel, 2026. βAmerica Isnβt Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobsβ The Atlantic
- Perhaps AI wonβt be as destructive to labor markets as we think?
- Edwards, βAI could create 78 million more jobs than it eliminates by 2030β Ars Technica
- Pethokoukis, βAnother Promising Data Point on the Productivity Impact of AIβ AEIdeas
- Acemoglu and Johnson, βLearning from Ricardo and Thompson: Machinery and labor in the early industrial revolution β and in the age of AIβ
π Additional Resources:
- Stiefenhofer, 2025. βArtificial General Intelligence and the End of Human Employment: The Need to Renegotiate the Social Contractβ
- Thompson, 2015. βA World Without Workβ. The Atlantic
- Two additional podcasts from the Plain English podcast:
- Mollick, 2025. βWhat Happens When AI Learns to Do Our Jobsβ. Podcast: Plain English with Derek Thompson.
- Korinek, 2025. βHow Superintelligent AI Could Upend Work and Politicsβ. Podcast: Plain English with Derek Thompson.
- Books:
- Mollick, 2024. Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. Portfolio Books.
- Frey, 2019. The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation
- Korinek, 2024. βPreparing for the (Non-Existent?) Future of Workβ Oxford Handbook of AI Governance
- Articles
- Lobel, 2024. βThe Future of Work in the Era of AIβ
- Felten, βHow will Language Modelers like ChatGPT Affect Occupations and Industries?β
- Generative AI for Economic Research
- Korinek, βEconomic Policy Challenges for the Age of AIβ
- Gottweis et al, 2025. βTowards an AI co-scientistβ. Google Research.
- Pew Research, 2025. Workers Experience with Chatbots and their Jobs
π Submit:
- Discussion question to course chat
TipTip
- βπ Readβ, βπ§ Listenβ, and/or βπΊ Watchβ items are required content for the day, and should be read/heard/watched before class on that day.
- βπ Browseβ items should be briefly looked at but do not need to be read deeply unless you want to
- βπ Additional Resourcesβ do not need to be looked at; they are there to serve, if useful, as further references for your debates, final projects, and general edification later.