But the notion of a jobless future – the ‘robopocalypse’ of tabloid headlines – is overstated. It is alluring and it makes the news, yet it is muddle-headed. Historically, our economies have become more automated. And historically, employment levels have tended to increase. How is this possible? Because automation has the potential to create more work than it destroys. Yes, there may be unemployment in the short term as some sectors wane. But automation creates jobs which often require new and distinctly human skills: from the programmers who develop systems to those who operate and maintain
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