Learning to Work With Robots

Molly Kinder authored a feature in Foreign Policy detailing the challenges that lie ahead in the face of an increasingly automation-driven future. 

Properly preparing for automation will require a long-term vision, bold goals, and immediate action. Workers themselves should be at the center of this planning and policymaking. Expecting millions of workers to change their careers, go back to school, retrain, and adjust to a rapidly changing labor market is a lot to ask. Improving the supply and affordability of training options will help, but it will not be sufficient to ensure that workers adapt. Understanding the expectations, preferences, and mentalities of a broad range of vulnerable workers will be critical to designing effective solutions. Success will require addressing the broader structural barriers that stand between these workers and new opportunities, such as financial insecurity, lack of affordable child care, and poor access to transportation.