A great overview of argument that #AI will not be able to do "Messy Jobs" (jobs that rely on things like tacit knowledge) by @joshuarothman at the @NewYorker, based on the book coauthored by the economist @lugaricano. The "messy jobs" thesis is really just an observation of what we have seen so far. Clearly, human beings can learn to do messy jobs. Therefore, if we have true human-level AI, it will also be able to learn to do messy jobs. I think it's easy to point to at least one of the key missing ingredients: continual (or on-the-job) learning. Surely, this is how humans learn to do messy jobs. Even the best AI models do not have this capability over significant periods of time. Humans, on the other hand, can learn over the course of months, years and decades. Once continual learning is solved, it seems likely that the messy jobs will begin to fall to the machines. I don't know how much research effort is currently being directed at continual learning by the frontier labs. I'd certainly be interested in comments from anyone with expertise in this area. I have read that some open model Chinese developers are making it a focus of research. It seems likely that continual learning will emerge as an important nexus of competition in the not too distant future, and that this will drive rapid progress. So hold on to your messy job while you can... (Link to the New Yorker article in the reply)

I enjoyed this long conversation on the GAEA Talks podcast about the future impact of #AI on the economy and the new edition of my book "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future" youtu.be/XB5Ut44lNhs?si=4VX4… #RiseoftheRobots

.@BillGates has changed his mind and now says #AI will lead to mass unemployment: #AI "will wreak economic catastrophe, with 'far fewer' jobs than exist today, thanks to the speed of AI’s advancements and what he calls a non-existent response from government and tech leaders." -- @ReedAlbergotti @semafor (link in the reply) There's a @NYTimes bestselling book about this! New edition updated for the latest advances in #AI and robotics focusing on the impact AI will have on the economy and job market... Now available in both US and UK. #RiseoftheRobots

Today is #UK publication day for the new edition of "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future." I have extensively updated the book to cover the latest advances in generative #AI and robotics and to examine the future economic and job market implications of the unfolding AI disruption. The book focuses on what we can do as individuals, and as a society, to successfully navigate the looming transition into the age of AI. Order from the Amazon or Waterstones links in the reply! #RiseoftheRobots

nytimes.com/2026/08/04/us/ai… This terrific article by @hknightsf in the NYT illustrates why continual learning -- or on-the-job learning -- is a critical component of #AGI. I think the major labs seem to be giving too little attention to this capability. @demishassabis, for example, has proposed a new "Turing Test" for AGI in which a system is trained on everything Einstein knew before he came up with general relativity, and then the system is tasked with making Einstein's conceptual leap. The problem is that this probably does not imply continual learning capability. So you still end up with a jagged intelligence that can conceive of general relativity--certainly amazing!--but probably could not automate Einstein's job in the Swiss Patent Office. Because that almost certainly required on-the-job learning. I have heard that continual learning is a focus of a lot of the research happening in China -- so this a real risk factor for maintaining the U.S. lead in the technology.

youtube.com/watch?v=NNrvqu6w… I had a great conversation about #AI, its future impact on jobs and the economy, and the new edition of my book "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future" on the DeepTech INSIGHTS podcast with @Sascha_Roehrer #RiseoftheRobots @aktionaer

2/ My NYTimes op-ed on the potential job market and economic challenges of the robotic/AI revolution in China (NYTimes gift article): nytimes.com/2015/06/11/opini… #RiseoftheRobots

youtu.be/pdhDjcESt4o?si=FhAI… 1/ A very interesting discussion about the impact of #AI and #robotics on the job market in China between @Alicesqhan and @JKynge on the China Decode podcast. I actually wrote an op-ed for the @NYTimes on this, way back in 2015. I wrote: "China could well turn out to be ground zero for the economic and social disruption brought on by the rise of the robots. The country’s relatively brittle authoritarian political system, together with its dependence on a sustained level of economic growth that would be considered extraordinary in any developed nation, suggest that China may face a staggering challenge as it attempts to adapt to the realities of a new age." and... "Chinese factory jobs may thus be poised to evaporate at an even faster pace than has been the case in the United States and other developed countries. That may make it significantly more difficult for China to address one of its paramount economic challenges: the need to rebalance its economy so that domestic consumption plays a far more significant role than is currently the case." I think economists who are interested in the issue of AI/robotics and jobs would be smart to watch closely what unfolds in China. Read my whole op-ed in the link in the reply... #RiseoftheRobots

I was pleased to join more than 200 economists and #AI researchers in signing “We Must Act Now: A Statement on #AI’s Transformation of the Economy.” #AI could transform the economy at unprecedented speed, bringing enormous opportunities as well as significant challenges, including large-scale job displacement. We need to begin preparing now. Thank you to the Stanford @DigEconLab for leading this important effort. #RiseoftheRobots To read the full statement and see the list of signatories (including 16 Nobel Laureates) see the link in the reply:

I had a great conversation with @MollyJongFast about the impact that #AI will have on jobs and the economy and the new edition of my book "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future" on the Fast Politics Podcast. Our conversation starts at 21:45. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

Watch my TED talk, in which I explain why "this time is different" and that advances in #AI and robotics will lead to a jobless future and the need for a new economic paradigm and social contract. This is from 2017. #RiseoftheRobots