Those Job-Stealing Robots Just Might Create New Jobs of Their Own
Professor Jeff DeGraff, in The Next Idea column, says rapid technology advancements mean we need to think of new solutions.
Economists and policymakers alike are trying to come to terms with increased automation of jobs and the societal change that increase will usher in. Michigan Ross Professor Jeff DeGraff, in this column for Michigan Radio’s The Next Idea, says we need to look beyond the traditional progressive and conservative playbooks for solutions.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently proposed taxing robots to fund programs for people who lose jobs to automation. But DeGraff thinks that would create a different set of problems.
Instead, society should focus on the new types of employment created by the proliferation of robots and technology, and how to get people educated and prepared for the new job market.
“There are always inflection points where society pivots to catch up with technology,” he writes. “It not only requires sufficient time to develop a new approach, but also for us to get our collective heads around what’s happening.”
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