Automation and the Future of Work

In Automation and the Future of Work, economic historian and sociologist Aaron Benanav examines the popular narrative that rapid technological advances in AI and robotics are causing widespread labor displacement. Challenging the premise that we are experiencing a technological "rise of the robots" scenario, Benanav offers a macroeconomic analysis arguing that the persistent global labor crisis—characterized by underemployment, wage stagnation, and job insecurity—is driven primarily by systemic economic deceleration and overcapacity, rather than an unprecedented acceleration in automation technology.