Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn 925: AI, Automation and the Future of Work, with Oxford’s Prof. Carl Benedikt Frey
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Sep 23, 2025 Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford economist and researcher, discusses his latest book, How Progress Ends, exploring the relationship between technology and economic systems. He delves into the challenges of job displacement by AI and the role of weak social ties in driving innovation. Frey also highlights the struggle of large incumbents to innovate versus lobby, and suggests ways for workers to future-proof their careers amidst rapid automation. His insights urge a shift in protective policies that focus on people, not just jobs.
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Progress Is Fragile Not Guaranteed
- Progress is not inevitable; technological leadership shifts across eras and places.
- Continuous institutional adaptation is required to sustain innovation over time.
Exploration Versus Scaling
- Innovation involves an exploratory phase and a distinct scaling phase with different institutional needs.
- Decentralized systems enable more diverse bets and raise breakthrough innovation probability.
How Weak Ties Seed Big Breakthroughs
- Kathleen Kariko left socialist Hungary, struggled for decades, and persisted to enable mRNA vaccine breakthroughs.
- Larry Page and Sergey Brin met at Stanford, illustrating how hubs and weak ties seed major innovations.
