MIT Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work

In his keynote at our launch event, Congressman @repauchincloss.bsky.social emphasized the urgency and importance of the Center's research agenda, particularly to understand whether AI will augment or replace labor.

Watch his full remarks and audience Q+A: youtu.be/EyiL2TA5vZY

Susan Stokes (University of Chicago) describes the link between inequality, political polarization, and backsliding of democracy.

Watch a full recording of the talk, co-hosted by the Stone Center and the @leadershipnow.bsky.social at MIT Sloan: youtu.be/CJTi8N4SGiA

On Tuesday, December 2 at 11:00 AM EST, co-director @davidautor.bsky.social will deliver a presentation on Expertise, Artificial Intelligence, and the Work of the Future, organized by Pearson. Register for the webinar here: pearson.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

AI to power national renewal as government announces billions of additional investment and new plans to boost UK businesses, jobs and innovation A major package of new reforms and investment will put AI at heart of government’s mission to drive growth, create jobs and spread prosperity across the country.

We congratulate co-director @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social for being appointed as an AI ambassador to the UK.

Simon's focus will be on "accelerating [AI] adoption while ensuring the benefits are broadly shared" at all skill and education levels.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Earlier this month, we celebrated the official launch of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work at MIT. Thanks to all of our participants for sharing their timely and thought-provoking insights.

Watch the recording: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Tomorrow (11/20) at 11:45 EST, we will host Susan Stokes for a discussion of her new book, "The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies," co-organized with @leadershipnow.bsky.social at MIT Sloan.

Watch the livestream: mitsloan.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Page...

James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work Launch Event - YouTube On November 3, 2025, we celebrated the launch of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work at MIT with a series ...

Miss our launch event earlier this month? The full recording of the event is now available, including a conversation with @repauchincloss.bsky.social and panel discussions on wealth inequality, liberalism, and pro-worker AI.

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

I am looking forward to speaking at this Georgetown Americas Institute conference on Monday, November 10. Registration is available here (including for the livestream): americas.georgetown.edu/events/the-a...

Can liberalism co-exist with populism? What can the history of liberalism teach us today?

Our upcoming panel will feature Josh Cohen (Apple University), Marc J. Dunkelman (Brown Watson School) & Helena Rosenblatt Dhar (CUNY).

Register: shapingwork.mit.edu/events/stone...

Join us on Monday, November 3 from 1:00-5:45 PM for the official launch of the Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work, co-directed by @dacemoglumit.bsky.social, @davidautor.bsky.social & @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social.

See the agenda and register: shapingwork.mit.edu/events/stone...

Who is rich in America, and how did they become rich? How is wealth inequality connected to housing markets, finance, and the macroeconomy?

A panel at our upcoming launch will feature @atifrmian.bsky.social, @omzidar.bsky.social, and Antoinette Schoar.

Register: shapingwork.mit.edu/events/stone...

Stone Center Micro-Conference September 2025 - YouTube On September 18, 2025, the Stone Center hosted the latest in its series of "micro-conferences," featuring presentations of cutting-edge economics research fr...

Watch 25-minute lectures on foundation models, credit access, and expertise from our recent micro-conference, featuring presentations from @asheshrambachan.bsky.social, @davidautor.bsky.social, and Nathaniel Hendren. Watch the recordings: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

What is "pro-worker AI," and how can we actually achieve it?

A panel discussion at the upcoming launch of the Stone Center will feature insights from @meredithmeredith.bsky.social, @emollick.bsky.social & @zbucinca.bsky.social.

Register: shapingwork.mit.edu/events/stone...

The Real AI Risk is ‘Meh’ Technology That Takes Jobs and Annoys Us All While AI doomsday scenarios dwell on the risks posed by superintelligent robot overlords, one Nobel-Prize winning economist fears a more mundane possibility.

Co-director @dacemoglumit.bsky.social warns that AI could be used for "so-so automation" — technology that displaces workers without delivering real productivity gains.

Read more in @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

📅 Join us on 11/3 as we officially launch the Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work! The half-day event will feature a series of discussions at the intersection of technology, the future of work, and inequality. See the agenda and register: shapingwork.mit.edu/events/stone...

On @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social, co-director @davidautor.bsky.social discusses his research findings on the impacts of globalization — and why these impacts can look very different for places versus people.

Listen here: pod.link/pitchforkeco...

In Lindau, co-director @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social discussed the future of technology & inequality in the age of AI, synthesizing his Nobel-winning research with the latest insights on AI & work. Watch here: mediatheque.lindau-nobel.org/recordings/4...

📸 Torben Nuding/Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings

Countries Consider A.I.’s Dangers and Benefits at U.N.

Co-director @dacemoglumit.bsky.social participated in yesterday's United Nations dialogue session on AI, highlighted in @nytimes.com. Daron stressed that the current path of AI, which emphasizes automation, could lead to greater inequality.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/b...

Co-director @davidautor.bsky.social was named one of @clarivate.com's 2025 Citation Laureates in Economics, "for seminal analysis of wage structure, earnings inequality, educational advance, and technological change." Congratulations, David!

clarivate.com/citation-lau...

Last week, the Stone Center hosted the latest event in our series of "micro-conferences," featuring presentations of cutting-edge economics research from @asheshrambachan.bsky.social, @davidautor.bsky.social, and Nathaniel Hendren. Recordings will be available soon on our YouTube channel.

On Friday, the Stone Center & @mitsloan.bsky.social hosted @michaelposner.bsky.social for a discussion of his book, Conscience Incorporated. The wide-ranging conversation, moderated by @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social, explored business leaders' role in addressing societal challenges such as inequality.

Keynote 3️⃣ of the TASKS VII Conference #TASKSVII2025

🗣️@davidautor.bsky.social of @mitshapingwork.bsky.social presents "Expertise" co-authored w/ N. Thompson

When job tasks are automated, does this augment or diminish the value of labor in the tasks that remain?

🔗 www.liser.lu/events/TASKS...

1/3

Last week, the Stone Center convened a workshop at MIT on @dacemoglumit.bsky.social's forthcoming book, bringing together top scholars across disciplines to discuss and debate how liberalism can truly deliver on its promises. Thanks to all who attended and shared their perspectives.

📣 Come work with us!

📊 We're hiring Predoctoral Researchers to work closely with @dacemoglumit.bsky.social, @davidautor.bsky.social, and @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social

📅 Apply by September 21 to meet the priority deadline: shapingwork.mit.edu/careers/

#econ_ra #econsky

How is artificial intelligence affecting job searches? AI has already become a disruptor in the labor market, as job postings declined over the past year by 6.7%, with entry-level positions especially hard-hit. But not all industries are affected by the p...

Co-director @davidautor.bsky.social was interviewed on @cbsnews.com about how AI is affecting job searches, particularly for entry-level workers.

www.cbsnews.com/news/how-is-...

A Better Way to Think About AI AI can be used to automate tasks—and entire jobs. But it could also be designed to collaborate with humans. David Autor and James Manyika on why we should focus on the latter:

In @theatlantic.com, co-director @davidautor.bsky.social and James Manyika explain why we should insist on developing AI as a collaboration tool, not just for automation — and what this would look like in practice.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

A Better Way to Think About AI Artificial intelligence is ready to collaborate. Why fixate on automation?

AI can be used to automate tasks—and entire jobs. But it could also be designed to collaborate with humans. David Autor and James Manyika on why we should focus on the latter:

A new look at how automation changes the value of labor | MIT Sloan Automation replaces experts in some occupations while augmenting expertise in others, according to a new MIT study.

Will automation wipe out jobs—or make them more valuable? A recent MIT Sloan article features @davidautor.bsky.social's recent research, which finds that the effect of automation on wages and employment depends on the nature of the tasks being replaced.

mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-t...

Job Positions Archive - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Want to work with us? We're hiring for Predoctoral Researcher positions to work with @dacemoglumit.bsky.social , @davidautor.bsky.social , and @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social .

Read the job descriptions and apply by September 21:

shapingwork.mit.edu/careers/

@predoc_org @econ_ra #Econ_RA #EconSky

Economist Daron Acemoglu on why strong, trusted institutions bring economic and political stability Daron Acemoglu has researched how successful nations rely on strong, reliable institutions.

How will the deterioration of political institutions influence American prosperity? Initiative Co-Director @dacemoglumit.bsky.social discussed the importance of institutions in supporting economic growth and the need to rebuild trust in experts with WBUR's Scott Tong
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...