Planet Money

How AI could help rebuild the middle class

May 17, 2023

Dive into the intriguing debate over AI's role in reshaping the workforce and potentially revitalizing the middle class. Hear insights from renowned labor economist David Autor on how AI could enhance productivity among lower-skilled workers. Explore the historical shifts from artisanal jobs to mass production, and their implications for today. Discover the nuanced effects of automation across different skill levels and sectors, including healthcare, and consider what this all means for the future of work.

21:22

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Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Automation of Middle Skilled Jobs in the Computer Era

00:32

The Possibilities of a Future with Machines and Labor Scarcity

00:36

Intro

3min

Craftsmanship to Class: The Industrial Shift

4min

AI's Workforce Divide

4min

AI and the Future of Nurse Practitioners

3min

AI and the Future of Work

7min

For the last four decades, technology has been mostly a force for greater inequality and a shrinking middle class. But new empirical evidence suggests that the age of AI could be different. We speak to MIT's David Autor, one of the greatest labor economists in the world, who envisions a future where we use AI to make a wider array of workers much better at a whole range of jobs and help rebuild the middle class.

This episode was produced by Dave Blanchard and edited by Molly Messick. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Katherine Silva. Jess Jiang is Planet Money's acting executive producer.

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