New workplace trends such as automation, AI, and the gig economy are generating a need for policies that create jobs and work that is more fulfilling. This summer, the UK government published a long-awaited independent review of employment practices in the modern economy, led by Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the London-based Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). His review and policy recommendations addressed questions about automation in the workplace, the influence of the so-called gig economy, and the need to create better work. Taylor sat down recently with James Manyika, chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute, whose recent research agenda has tackled many of the same and similar topics (notably the future of work, independent work, automation, and declining productivity). What follows are edited highlights of their conversation. It begins with Taylor outlining the scope of the UK report. Matthew Taylor: We've been exploring three questions. One is who's being exploited, how they're being exploited, and what might we do about it. Second, an understanding of the incentives that are driving changes in the labor market.