In 1980, when he became MIT’s 14th president, the late Paul Gray presented the MIT community with a challenge. “We continue to hear the complaint that … many of our human and social ills are the direct result of unanticipated and deleterious artifacts of technology, foisted upon the world by technicians with tunnel vision,” he observed, as he urged the people of MIT to “rededicate science and technology as socially powerful activities.”
I believe Paul’s challenge has a deep new importance for us now, as we contemplate the long-term impact of automation on human labor.
Every past technology wave ultimately produced more jobs than it destroyed, while delivering important gains—from higher living standards and longer life expectancy to increased productivity and economic growth. Yet many fear that this time the change may be so fast and so vast, its impact so uneven and disruptive, that it may threaten not only individual livelihoods but the stability of society itself.
Fortunately, this outcome is not inevitable—and the future is in our hands. Automation will transform our work, our lives, our society. Whether the outcome is inclusive or exclusive, fair or laissez-faire, is up to us. Getting this right is among the most important and inspiring challenges of our time—and it should be a priority for everyone who hopes to enjoy the benefits of a nation that’s healthy and stable because it offers opportunity for all.
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