Automation Technologies and the Future of Work: Should We Fear AI?
Abstract
AI is dominating public debate about the future of work and the kinds of jobs that will be left to humans. Many express fears that there will be no interesting jobs left for humans to do and are uncertain how to prepare for it. Are these fears justified? Technology has never been bad for humanity – is it different this time? In this lecture the speaker will explore the role of new technology and job creation in economic growth, draw lessons from other industrial countries and discuss policies that can improve the functioning of labour markets in the age of automation and AI.
About the Speaker
Prof. Sir Christopher PISSARIDES is the first Nobel laureate appointed to HKUST faculty. He was awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2010, jointly with Prof. Dale MORTENSEN of Northwestern University and Prof. Peter DIAMOND of Massachusetts Institute for Technology, for his work in the economics of labor markets, especially his work on markets with frictions and unemployment. Prior to that, in 2005, he became the first European economist to win the IZA Prize in Labor Economics, sharing it again with his collaborator Prof. Dale Mortensen.
Prof. Pissarides received his PhD in Economics in 1973 from the London School of Economics (LSE) and has been on its faculty since 1976. He is the Regius Professor of Economics at the LSE, the Professor of European Studies at the University of Cyprus, and the Chairman of the Council of National Economy of the Republic of Cyprus.
In 2011, Prof. Pissarides served as the President of the European Economic Association. Between 2000 and 2007 he was the external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Cyprus, which brought the euro to Cyprus. He has also been a consultant on matters concerning the euro to the British Treasury and the Swedish Commission on the euro, as well as a consultant at the European Commission, World Bank and OECD on matters related to employment and macroeconomic policy.
Prof. Pissarides is an elected Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Athens, the Academia Europaea and several other learned societies, and he is a Lifetime Honorary Member of the American Economic Association. He has been honored by several universities worldwide with doctorates or professorships. In 2011 he received the Grand Cross of the Republic of Cyprus, the highest honor of the Republic. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. Prof. Pissarides has written extensively in professional journals, magazines and the press. His book Equilibrium Unemployment Theory is an influential reference in the economics of unemployment that has been translated into many languages. He is frequently quoted in the press on issues concerning the Eurozone and the future of European integration.
For Attendees' Attention
Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
