What does the second machine age mean for our jobs? | Erik Brynjolfsson via World Economic Forum Blog

by Hallie Siegel

08 September 2014

share this:

http://youtu.be/7UmGl-FDJ3s

If the first industrial revolution was about creating more effective power systems, such as the steam engine, then this time around the focus is on mental tasks, says Professor Erik Brynjolfsson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in this World Economic Forum video. As for humans, it’s not clear whether we will be complementary to these technologies, or crowded out by them, he adds.

Read more on the World Economic Forum Blog

tags: c-Politics-Law-Society, robots and jobs

Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large

Robot Talk Episode 123 – Standardising robot programming, with Nick Thompson

Robot Talk 30 May 2025

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Nick Thompson from BOW about software that makes robots easier to program.

Congratulations to the #AAMAS2025 best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation award winners

AIhub 29 May 2025

Find out who won the awards presented at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems last week.

Congratulations to the #ICRA2025 best paper award winners

AIhub 27 May 2025

The winners and finalists in the different categories have been announced.

#ICRA2025 social media round-up

AIhub 23 May 2025

Find out what the participants got up to at the International Conference on Robotics & Automation.

Robot Talk Episode 122 – Bio-inspired flying robots, with Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez

Robot Talk 23 May 2025

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez from Delft University of Technology about drones that can move on land and in the air.

Robot Talk Episode 121 – Adaptable robots for the home, with Lerrel Pinto

Robot Talk 16 May 2025

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Lerrel Pinto from New York University about using machine learning to train robots to adapt to new environments.

What’s coming up at #ICRA2025?

AIhub 16 May 2025

Find out what's in store at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, which will take place from 19-23 May.

Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-tos

Cornell University 14 May 2025

Researchers have developed a new robotic framework that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a how-to video