The age of uncertainty and opportunity: work in the age of AI

The question of how artificial intelligence [AI] will affect jobs, skills, and the future of work is open-ended, and answers have been uncertain and contradictory. As AI has advanced, forecasts of labor market impacts have increasingly emphasized AI's potential to automate tasks that require skills, including creativity, writing, and social and emotional learning, previously believed to be beyond the technology's reach. In this report, we review over a decade of research on AI's potential and actual impacts on employment trends and demand for skills in the labor market. We then explore the implications of this research for skill development and worker training and offer recommendations for workers and policymakers. In the face of these advances and the uncertainties they generate, students and incumbent workers should focus on developing balanced skill 'portfolios' that support flexibility and adaptation, and policymakers should empower them to do so.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less