CSLF researchers have recently examined the impact that new computer technologies likes artificial intelligence (AI) will have on the labor market in two research reports: Industry Sector Jobs at Risk in Georgia and Its Regions Due to New Technology and The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Labor Force in Georgia.
Now, the unprecedented economic impact of COVID-19 may accelerate the technological shift in employment sectors, as many of the industries vulnerable to the pandemic are the same ones vulnerable to replacement by advanced technologies.
In a new CSLF policy brief, authors Peter Bluestone, Emmanuel Chike and Sally Wallace examine the potential impact of COVID-19 on Georgia’s labor market.
The authors find that many of the industries that are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and replacement by technology are those that have relatively low wages and educational requirements, exacerbating the risk of economic instability in an already vulnerable group. The authors point out that governments, non-profits and the private sector have a role in helping displaced workers with innovative training and upskilling, an opportunity that higher education systems can also support.
Author Peter Bluestone noted in a recent article, “The COVID-19 public health crisis is exacerbating AI’s structural changes to employment and occupation by increasing the speed of the transition to automation as a result of social distancing measures and concerns regarding the virus’s spread…Education, business, medicine and other industries are finding creative ways to use digital technologies.”
Read the full policy brief here: The Future of Industry and Employment: COVID-19 Effects Exacerbate the March of Artificial Intelligence
