**AI Must Complement Workers, Not Replace Them**
The world of AI is expanding rapidly and there’s no shortage of optimistic predictions about how it will change our lives for the better. Tech experts are predicting that AI could boost productivity growth and global GDP. But just how realistic are these lofty forecasts?
Productivity vs. Automation
Contrary to popular belief, higher productivity does not necessarily translate into more jobs for workers. In fact, automation, which is often viewed as a driver of productivity growth, can actually displace workers. The goal should instead be to develop AI in a way that enhances what all workers can do, rather than replaces them with machines.
Creating New Tasks
The creation of new tasks is key to raising worker marginal productivity. When new machines open up new uses for human labor, it expands workers’ contributions to production and increases their marginal productivity. New tasks have been vital in the growth of employment and wages over the past two centuries.
Productive Automation
Automation in an industry can drive up employment if it substantially increases productivity, leading to either new jobs from nonautomated tasks or an expansion of activities in related industries. However, when productivity gains from automation are small, the so-called “so-so automation,” the benefits are limited and do not lead to the creation of new jobs elsewhere.
Complementing Humans
New technology can complement workers by enabling them to work more efficiently, perform higher-quality work, or accomplish new tasks. The goal is to find ways to empower workers by creating new productive tasks and using AI to complement, rather than replace, human labor.
The Power of Choice
Ultimately, the development and implementation of AI tools and technology is a matter of choice. When the productivity bandwagon is weak, and there are no self-correcting mechanisms to ensure shared benefits, these choices become more consequential—and a few tech decision-makers become economically and politically more powerful.
AI offers an opportunity to complement worker skill and expertise if we direct its development accordingly. Will we invent and implement digital tools for surveillance, automation, or to empower workers by creating new productive tasks? The choice is ours.
What do you think? Can AI be developed in a way that complements workers and enhances what they can do? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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