Can robots and workers co-exist? Workers, policymakers, and the media are concerned with the idea that automation, or technological change, will displace millions of American workers--and they are partially right. Andrew Yang, an early 2020 Presidential hopeful is already running on the idea that "the robots are coming" – though the story is not so simple. There have been, and will continue to be, technological breakthroughs that replace workers and reshape our economy. The next big worker-displacing technology is supposedly artificial intelligence (AI), which is thought to have the potential to replace millions of workers performing routine and menial tasks.

Can robots and workers co-exist?iStock, Workers, policymakers, and the media are concerned with the idea that automation, or technological change, will displace millions of American workers--and they are partially right. Andrew Yang, an early 2020 Presidential hopeful is already running on the idea that "the robots are coming" – though the story is not so simple. There have been, and will continue to be, technological breakthroughs that replace workers and reshape our economy. The next big worker-displacing technology is supposedly artificial intelligence (AI), which is thought to have the potential to replace millions of workers performing routine and menial tasks.