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A World Without Work
A World Without Work
Oct 22, 2024 1:43 PM

Author:Daniel Susskind,Daniel Susskind

A World Without Work

Brought to you by Penguin

'A path-breaking, thought-provoking and in-depth study of how new technology will transform the world of work' Gordon Brown

'Compelling ... Thought-provoking ... Should be required reading for any presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future' NEW YORK TIMES

New technologies have always provoked panic about workers being replaced by machines. In the past, such fears have been misplaced, and many economists maintain that they remain so today. Yet in A World Without Work, Daniel Susskind shows why this time really is different. Advances in artificial intelligence mean that all kinds of jobs are increasingly at risk.

Susskind argues that machines no longer need to reason like us in order to outperform us. Increasingly, tasks that used to be beyond the capability of computers - from diagnosing illnesses to drafting legal contracts - are now within their reach. The threat of technological unemployment is real.

So how can we all thrive in a world with less work? Susskind reminds us that technological progress could bring about unprecedented prosperity, solving one of mankind's oldest problems: making sure that everyone has enough to live on. The challenge will be to distribute this prosperity fairly, constrain the burgeoning power of Big Tech, and provide meaning in a world where work is no longer the centre of our lives. In this visionary, pragmatic and ultimately hopeful book, Susskind shows us the way.

"This is the book to read on the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence. It is thoughtful and state-of-the-art on the economics of the issue, but its real strength is the way it goes beyond just the economics. A truly important contribution' Lawrence Summers, former Chief Economist of the World Bank

'A fascinating book about a vitally important topic. Elegant, original and compelling'Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist

© Daniel Susskind 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

Compelling ... Thought-provoking ... Should be required reading for any presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future.

—— New York Times

An excellent and timely piece of analysis ... Susskind combines a mastery of global research with insight into how government works. A book of immense importance that demands to be taken very seriously by No. 10, and by anyone who cares about the future of our country and world.

—— New Statesman

A pathbreaking, thought-provoking, and in-depth study of how new technology will transform the world of work.

—— The Right Honourable Gordon Brown

A fascinating book about a vitally important topic - and he writes with such elegance that you don't even notice how much you're learning. Elegant, original and compelling.

—— Tim Harford, author of 'Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy' and 'The Undercover Economist'

A superb and sophisticated contribution to the debate over work in the age of artificial intelligence. Susskind approaches the debate with a great command of the evidence and with excellent judgment. He takes on all of the major debates: whether new jobs will replace those that disappear, how the income distribution will be affected, and how individuals are likely to allocate their time in the future between work, leisure, study, and other activities. Never glib, consistently wise and well-informed, this is the book to read to understand how digital technologies and artificial intelligence in particular are reshaping the economy and labor market, and how we will live alongside increasingly smart machines.

—— Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Economics at Columbia University, Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Daniel Susskind has written an important book on an equally important topic: the future of work in an economy driven by the advances in artificial intelligence. His conclusion is that ultimately there will be less work, or at least less paid work. This will shake the foundations of our economy and our society. Our institutions will have to be transformed. It will be a daunting challenge. We have to start thinking hard about it now.

—— Martin Wolf , Chief Economics Commentator, 'The Financial Times'

This is the book to read on the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence. It is thoughtful and state-of-the-art on the economics of the issue, but its real strength is the way it goes beyond just the economics. A truly important contribution that deserves widespread consideration.

—— Lawrence Summers, former Chief Economist of the World Bank, Treasury Secretary for the Clinton Administration and Director of the National Economic Council for the Obama Administration

Eloquent and humane, A World Without Work moves the debate beyond the illusion that technology always creates more jobs than it destroys and provocatively explores the role of work in human life and what to do when that role evaporates.

—— Stuart Russell, author of 'Human Compatible' and Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley

Fascinating and tightly argued

—— Steven Poole , Sunday Telegraph

Eloquent and well researched ... Lighthouses will never look the same again

—— BBC CountryFile Magazine

Intensely interesting

—— Engineering & Technology Magazine

Ten Arguments is more compelling than the many similar treatises on social media published since 2016 because of Lanier’s intimate knowledge of the private sector

—— Nina Jankowicz , New Scientist

Written in Lanier’s engaging conversational style… [Ten Arguments] hits all ten nails bang on the head

—— Jonathan Wilson , Engineering & Technology

[Lanier’s] argument…is a profound one… I heeded his plea and deleted my account

—— Franklin Foer , Scotsman

Incredibly accessible. The conversational tone makes for light reading, yet it’s also a hard-hitting and well-constructed polemic

—— Jamie Bartlett , Spectator

[A] brief and lucid volume

—— Jennifer Egan author of A Visit from the Goon Squad , Guardian

'Takes readers on a fascinating journey into the past and the future of time-keeping methods and technology ... [Rooney] reminds readers that clocks are not just critical to the progress of civilization but also in the waging of warfare'

—— Telegraph India

We know lols, emojis and hashtags are altering our discourse. Linguist McCulloch counts—and revels in—the ways. Give it to your favorite stickler.

—— People

Because Internet sheds light on so many things…about how people use text to communicate

—— Randall Munroe , New Scientist

McCulloch’s subject is an under-explored one, and Because Internet demonstrates that it is one of interest to a wide readership… she shows, in a delightfully accessible way, how internet language can offer valuable insights for linguistic research

—— Anna Hollingsworth , Times Literary Supplement

How to Love Animals is compassionate, funny and utterly readable. What's more, Mance does something of enormous value: he surprises himself and the reader, too... In marrying this openness with his clarity of vision, Mance offers a new window on the climate emergency - one of the most pressing issues of our time.

—— Clea Skopeliti , i

Intensely researched and carefully woven... varied and fascinating, and at times even funny. Mance...has a lively style; if the subject matter is heavy, his prose slips down effortlessly... I was gripped and provoked.

—— Emma Beddington , Spectator

Challenging, but also funny and refreshingly low in sanctimony, this book is no frothing polemic. It will doubtless alter many readers' understanding of the systems we all participate in and lead them to make different choices. For others, it should prompt the difficult moral reasoning that those of us who love animals but also profit from their suffering cravenly manage to avoid... Mance is an amiable guide: curious and open-minded.

—— Melissa Harrison , Financial Times

Mance...is spot on to make us confront the horrible truth... [How to Love Animals] will force its readers to stop and think about the incomprehensible scale of unnecessary suffering we impose on our fellow creatures.

—— Julian Baggini , Literary Review
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