CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- On Tuesday, September 10, the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future will detail their findings on how automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are likely to impact the American workforce, and describe public and private action they say is needed to harness new technologies for shared prosperity. The briefing will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. at 8:30 A.M., and will feature remarks from MIT President L. Rafael Reif and MIT researchers, as well as a panel discussion and opportunity for questions.
The MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future – which is led by David Autor, the Ford Professor of Economics; David Mindell, the Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and a professor of aeronautics and astronautics; and Elisabeth Reynolds, executive director of the Task Force on the Work of the Future and a lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning – consists of dozens of MIT scholars, as well as an advisory board of business executives and policy leaders. The Task Force report draws on new data, the expert knowledge of many technology sectors, and a close analysis of both technology-centered firms and economic data spanning the postwar era.
In recent decades, technology has contributed to the polarization of employment, helping high-skilled professionals while reducing opportunities for many other workers. A critical challenge is not necessarily a lack of jobs, but the low quality of jobs and the resulting lack of viable careers for many people. With this in mind, the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future finds that the future of work can be shaped beneficially by new policies, renewed support for labor, and reformed institutions, not just new technologies.
Eduardo Porter, an economics reporter for The New York Times, will moderate the panel discussion. Participants include: John E. Kelly III, executive vice president of IBM; Juan Salgado, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago; and Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
WHAT:
MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future Briefing
WHO:
MIT speakers:
- L. Rafael Reif, MIT President;
- David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics
- David Mindell, Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and a professor of aeronautics and astronautics;
- Elisabeth Reynolds, executive director of the Task Force on the Work of the Future and the MIT Industrial Performance Center (IPC), and a lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Guest speakers and participants:
- Eduardo Porter, economics reporter, The New York Times;
- John E. Kelly III, executive vice President, IBM;
- Juan Salgado, chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago;
- Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO
WHERE:
National Press Club
First Amendment Lounge
529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20045
WHEN:
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
8:00 A.M.: Coffee and breakfast
8:30 A.M. – 9:45 A.M.: Remarks and panel discussion
Media RSVP:
Reporters interested in attending should email Abby Abazorius at abbya@mit.edu or expertrequests@mit.edu to RSVP and for more information.
