What the 20th-century US auto industry can teach us about AI and good jobs

Video Description

Nobel Prize-winning economist Simon Johnson explains what lessons the 20th-century US auto industry can teach us about achieving pro-worker AI. The US auto industry became substantially more productive in the early 20th century, with the introduction of the assembly line and electricity in factories. But despite widespread automation, it wasn't all bad news for workers. The growing industry also created many new expert tasks for humans, which led to increased employment in the sector overall, and trade unions successfully fought to secure higher wages for workers in line with the productivity gains. Could the private sector today use a similar strategy to implement pro-worker AI? Simon Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Co-Director of the MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative.