automation-and-labor-displacement
The process by which robotics and AI technologies increasingly replace human labor across diverse industries, threatening widespread job loss.
1 chapter across 1 book
Four Futures: Visions of the World After Capitalism (2016)Peter Frase
The chapter introduces two interlinked crises shaping the 21st century: ecological catastrophe driven by climate change and the rapid automation of labor through advances in robotics and artificial intelligence. It outlines the dual anxieties of scarcity from environmental degradation and abundance from technological automation, emphasizing the unprecedented potential for labor displacement across various sectors. The author surveys current debates and examples of automation's reach, from IBM's Watson to robotic agriculture, setting the stage for exploring possible futures shaped by these dynamics.