Description
Automation, AI, and the Future of Work
REFERENCE READINGS
You may use these articles in your essay, but they do not count towards your research minimums
Autor: “Why are there still jobs?”
Connif: “What the Luddites Really Believed”
Nova: “Automation Threatening 25% of jobs in the US”
Thompson: “World without Work”
Thompson: “The Religion of ‘Works’ is Making Americans Miserable’
Vardi: “What the Industrial Revolution really tells us about the future of automation and work”
Introduction (25 – 50% of a typed, double-spaced page): Set up the topic. Speak in general terms about the relationship between automation and work. Briefly introduce the promises and perils of automation. THESIS QUESTION: Is automation an existential threat to the workforce? Your answer to this question will be your thesis statement.
BP #1 (50 – 75%): Historical perspective. Luddites. What was the specific event and how it is significant to a contemporary discussion about automation?
RESEARCH: The Luddite movement. (2 SOURCES MINIMUM)
BP #2 (50 – 75%): Automation through the 19th and 20th centuries. What developments disrupted traditional industries? What impact did these disruptions have on society?
RESEARCH: History of Automation. Impact on the US economy and the workforce over time. (2 SOURCES MINIMUM)
BP #3 (50 – 75%): Automation and threats to the current workforce
RESEARCH: Current use of automation in the workforce. Potential to displace workers. (2 SOURCES MINIMUM)
BP #4 (50 – 75%): Artificial intelligence in the workforce. How are industries using AI?
RESEARCH: How AI is being used in the workforce. Potential to displace workers. (2 SOURCES MINIMUM)
BP #5 (50 – 75%): Possibilities of a post-work society. What does work mean to us? Why do we seem to “need” work?
RESEARCH: What is a post-work society. What are economists and intellectuals saying about? What socio-psychological are at play? (2 SOURCES MINIMUM)
Conclusion (15 – 25%): Bring the discussion to a close. Restate your thesis. Suggest potential future trends in automation and how our concepts of work may change going forward.