Robot City: Automation and Low-Wage Workers

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are in the process of transforming the economy globally and locally. A report the Obama Administration released at the end of 2016 found that AI may threaten large numbers of jobs and that low-wage workers will experience the greatest pressure on their livelihoods: “According to [one analysis], 83 percent of jobs making less than $20 per hour would come under pressure from automation, as compared to 31 percent of jobs making between $20 and $40 per hour and 4 percent of jobs making above $40 per hour.” Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Economy (2016) at 14.

Large numbers of Philadelphia's workers depend on jobs that seem likely to face pressure from automation. This panel will explore perspectives on the impact of automation and AI on Philadelphia's low-income communities and on what steps we can take to make our automated future better for all Philadelphians. Join us at this Philly Tech Week event to learn about the ways that local policymakers, advocates, and the business community can prepare for these coming changes.