Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future

by Martin Ford

higher-skill jobs become more vulnerable to electronic offshoring.

advancing technology continues to drive the United States and other industrialized countries toward ever higher inequality,

The insights gleaned from big data typically arise entirely from correlation and say nothing about the causes of the phenomenon being studied.

See next note for explanation

in the realm of business where the ultimate measure of success is profitability and efficiency rather than deep understanding, correlation alone can have extraordinary value.

Big data analysis doesn’t necessarily require understanding of the underlaying causality. Correlation is sufficient.

big data revolution: the idea that prediction based on correlation is sufficient,

The migration of leading-edge artificial intelligence capability into the cloud is almost certain to be a powerful driver of white-collar automation.

Ouch. Seems likely though.

nearly 50 percent of jobs will ultimately be susceptible

Double ouch.

As jobs and incomes are relentlessly automated away, the bulk of consumers may eventually come to lack the income and purchasing power necessary to drive the demand that is critical to sustained economic growth.

Endless economic growth isn’t possible unless we make it to space.