At yesterday's groundbreaking AI and the Work of the Future Congress, MIT Professor Daniela Rus presented contrasting perspectives on how artificial intelligence will reshape global employment landscapes.
Rus, who directs the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and serves as the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, explained that experts believe AI will enhance human wellbeing by automating repetitive tasks, increasing business profitability, and generating new employment opportunities.
Citing a World Economic Forum study, Rus highlighted that artificial intelligence could potentially create 133 million new jobs globally within the next five years. However, she contrasted this optimistic outlook with recent survey findings indicating approximately two-thirds of Americans fear machines will soon eliminate human employment. "So, who is correct? The economists forecasting enhanced productivity and new positions? The technologists envisioning improved living standards? Or the manufacturing workers concerned about job displacement?" Rus questioned. "The reality likely encompasses all these viewpoints."
Her opening remarks launched a comprehensive conference at Kresge Auditorium, bringing together industry and academic specialists for panel discussions and informal conversations about preparing individuals of all ages and backgrounds for an AI-driven workplace transformation. The event was collaboratively organized by CSAIL, the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE), and the MIT Work of the Future Task Force—an institute-wide initiative established in 2018 to understand and influence employment evolution during this innovation era.
Featured speakers were described as "leaders and visionaries" meticulously evaluating technology's influence on business, government, and society while developing actionable solutions. Beyond Rus, who also facilitated a panel addressing AI misconceptions, presenters included United States Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios; executives from Amazon, Nissan, Liberty Mutual, IBM, Ford, and Adobe; venture capitalists and technology entrepreneurs; nonprofit and college representatives; journalists specializing in AI coverage; and numerous MIT professors and researchers.
Rus, identifying herself as a "technology optimist," emphasized a recurring theme throughout the day's discussions: AI doesn't eliminate entire positions—rather, it automates specific tasks. Referencing a recent McKinsey Global Institute study estimating that 45% of compensated human activities can now be automated, Rus suggested humans can adapt to collaborate effectively with AI systems. While job responsibilities may transform significantly, complete job elimination isn't inevitable. "Through strategic choices and investments, we can guarantee these benefits reach across our workforce and global communities," Rus stated.
Preventing Employment Catastrophe
Recurring themes throughout the event included retraining experienced employees to utilize AI technologies; substantial investment in educating young students about AI through technical apprenticeships, vocational programs, and other educational initiatives; ensuring workers receive adequate compensation; and fostering greater diversity in technology-related careers. These efforts aim to prevent what one speaker termed a "job-pocalypse," where most humans might lose employment to machines.
A panel moderated by David Mindell, the Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing and professor of aeronautics and astronautics, examined how AI technologies are transforming workflows and required skills, particularly within traditionally resistant sectors. Mindell requested panelists to share specific examples of AI technology implementation within their organizations.
In response, David Johnson, Nissan's vice president of production and engineering, shared an experience pairing an MIT student with a veteran employee to develop AI methods for autonomously predicting car-part quality. Ultimately, the experienced employee became deeply engaged with the technology and now applies his extensive expertise to implement it in other areas, while the student gained practical knowledge about real-world technology applications. "Only through this synergy, when you intentionally connect these individuals with shared objectives, can you effectively advance skills... for widespread technology adoption and deployment," Johnson explained.
During a panel about developing public policies to ensure technology benefits society—featuring U.S. CTO Kratsios—moderator Erik Brynjolfsson, IDE director and MIT Sloan School of Management professor, directly addressed the central question: "People have been avoiding this issue: Will AI eliminate jobs?"
"Yes, it will—but not to the extent people anticipate," responded MIT Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu. He explained that AI would primarily automate routine tasks in professional positions, enabling humans to develop creative, interpersonal, and other advanced skills for emerging roles. Additionally, humans wouldn't remain trapped in low-paying positions like data labeling for machine learning algorithms.
"That's not our employment future," he stated. "The goal is to leverage our incredible creativity and these remarkable technological platforms to create meaningful positions where humans can apply their adaptability, creativity, and other qualities... machines won't replicate—at least within the next century."
Kratsios stressed the necessity for public-private collaboration to retrain workers. He specifically referenced the Pledge to America's Workers, a federal initiative now involving 370 U.S. companies committed to retraining approximately 4 million American workers for technology-based positions over the next five years.
When addressing audience questions about potential policy modifications, Kratsios echoed many panelists' views, suggesting education policy should address all educational levels, not exclusively four-year degrees. "The majority of our policies and most government agencies focus on encouraging four-year degrees," Kratsios noted. "Significant opportunities exist for Americans to live and work in excellent positions that don't require bachelor's degrees. Therefore, [the solution involves] redirecting these resources toward retraining, or helping students attend vocational schools."
Diversity and Underserved Communities
Entrepreneurs at the conference explained how AI could help build diverse workforces. For instance, a panel about creating economically and geographically varied employment, moderated by Devin Cook, executive producer of IDE's Inclusive Innovation Challenge, featured Radha Basu, who established Hewlett Packard's Indian operations in the 1970s. In 2012, Basu founded iMerit, which employs individuals—half being young women and over 80% from underserved communities—to deliver AI services for computer vision, machine learning, and other applications.
A panel led by Paul Osterman, co-director of the MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research and MIT Sloan professor, investigated how labor markets are evolving amid technological innovation. Panelist Jacob Hsu serves as CEO of Catalyte, which employs an AI-driven assessment to predict a candidate's potential success as a software engineer, then hires and trains the highest-scoring individuals. Many Catalyte employees lack four-year degrees, with ages ranging from 17 to 72.
A "media spotlight" session, where journalists discussed their reporting on AI's workplace and global impact, featured David Fanning, founder and producer of the investigative documentary series FRONTLINE, which recently broadcast "In the Era of AI." Fanning briefly described how his investigations revealed AI's profound effect on workplaces in developing nations that depend heavily on manual labor, such as manufacturing facilities.
"As automation expands, the manufacturing ladder that enabled people in developing countries to escape rural poverty disappears as machines replace production," Fanning explained. "Will we ultimately see people worldwide with limited opportunities? Will they become the new economic migrants we must address in the AI age?"
Education: The Essential Counterbalance
Elisabeth Reynolds, executive director for the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future and the MIT Industrial Performance Center, and Andrew McAfee, IDE co-director and principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management, concluded the conference and discussed future initiatives.
Reynolds announced that the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future would spend the next year further examining AI adoption, diffusion, and implementation across the United States, along with racial and gender bias issues in artificial intelligence. In closing, she challenged attendees to take action: "I would challenge everyone here to ask, 'What will our organization do Monday morning regarding this agenda?'"
Paraphrasing economist Robert Gordon, McAfee reiterated the changing nature of employment in the AI era: "We don't face a job quantity problem, we face a job quality problem."
While AI may generate more positions and company profits, it could also negatively affect employees. McAfee emphasized that proper education and training are essential to ensuring the future workforce receives fair compensation and enjoys high living standards: "We've long understood that technological progress drives inequality. Education serves as the crucial counterbalancing force."
