Attitudes to technology

Part 1

James Bessen

pp. 83-88

in: Robert Skidelsky, Nan Craig (eds), Work in the future, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020

Abstract

Automation tends to be partial rather than complete, automating tasks rather than entire professions. Partial automation can also cause increases in employment in the affected industries, as well as decreases. Nevertheless, it will still cause disruption in the near term, since it requires people to learn new skills in order to remain employed. In deciding whether automation creates or destroys jobs, the decisive factor is demand rather than technology.