Two M.I.T Researchers Look at the "Race Against the Machine"

More Jobs Predicted for Machines, Not People. (The New York Times, 10/24/2011)

Excerpt: The automation of more and more work once done by humans is the central theme of “Race Against the Machine,” an e-book to be published on Monday.

“Many workers, in short, are losing the race against the machine,” the authors write.

Erik Brynjolfsson, an economist and director of the M.I.T. Center for Digital Business, and Andrew P. McAfee, associate director and principal research scientist at the center, are two of the nation’s leading experts on technology and productivity. The tone of alarm in their book is a departure for the pair, whose previous research has focused mainly on the benefits of advancing technology.  [Emphasis added..]

In the "race against the machine", the authors point to...

• robotics 
• numerically controlled machines 
• computerized inventory control 
• voice recognition
• online commerce

They also note that the path to job creation in the future must focus on human traits, i.e., the need to find solutions require that intuition and creativity, a goal that requires an emphasis on research and a well-educated citizenry.

And where is Wisconsin headed?