Recurrent memes and technological fallacies

David Heatley and Bronwyn Howell

Chapter 16 in Handbook of Artificial Intelligence at Work, 2024, pp 315-337 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The fear that technological change will result in widespread job displacement has a long history, and the recent concern over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market is merely the latest iteration of this pervasive meme. The authors attribute the recent outbreak of the "future of work" meme to overhyped predictions about AI's development and adoption rates and their assumed impact on specific jobs and the labor market as a whole. Despite these forecasts being easily tested against reality, they have become accepted as fact, shifting the burden of proof to opponents. Governments must adjust labor-market policy in response to changes, but they should wait for reliable evidence of change and its direction instead of acting on predictions. The authors conclude that policymakers must be cautious when addressing the future of work to avoid unintentionally harming the interests of those they seek to protect.

Keywords: Business and Management; Economics and Finance; Innovations and Technology; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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