The Future of Work ^†

It all started with a short report by Oxford-researchers Carl Frey and Michael Osborne (2013), “The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?” which was interpreted to say that in the next 20 years half of all current jobs will disappear. There will be massive unemployment and societies will have to introduce “universal basic income” and prepare for a world with increasing divisions and social conflicts between elites and unemployed masses. In this debate we will look closer at the arguments for this bleak future, ask us what science can tell us about the future, consider different scenarios for the future of work, and maybe even question the importance of work.

The topic is difficult and complex but fortunately we have secured a panel with exceptional competence—the panel is all of you. We will use digital technology to organize a crowd based debate, a “crowdbate”, and use the intelligence of the crowd to throw fresh light on the future of work.