AI And Automation By The Numbers: Predictions, Perceptions, And Proposals

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin declared last week that the threat of artificial intelligence taking over American jobs "is not even on my radar screen." Mnuchin is "not worried at all," at least not for the next 50 to 100 years. This was in sharp contrast to the attitude of the previous administration. President Obama, for example, opined that "We've been seeing specialized AI in every aspect of our lives, from medicine and transportation to how electricity is distributed, and it promises to create a vastly more productive and efficient economy… But it also has some downsides that we're gonna have to figure out in terms of not eliminating jobs. How good or bad AI will be for employment and how soon its beneficial or detrimental effects will manifest themselves have been debated--loudly and persistently--over the last few years.