Work in the age of artificial intelligence: Four perspectives on the economy, employment, skills and ethics

Abstract

The report Work in the age of artificial intelligence is part of the Artificial Intelligence Programme set up by Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. The programme’s steering group is chaired by Pekka Ala-Pietilä. A working group on the transformation of work and society, chaired by Osmo Soininvaara, Lic. Pol. Sc., wrote the report. The report is a collection of four main articles that discuss (1) the effects of artificial intelligence on general economic and employment trends; (2) the transformation of work and the labour market; (3) reforms on education and skills maintenance; and (4) ethics. Artificial intelligence is a general-purpose technology that changes working life and society extensively. It opens the possibility for rapid productivity growth and for a higher standard of living. To harness the potential of artificial intelligence, society must invest in updating workers’ skills, facilitating workforce mobility and generating innovations that complement human labour. The importance of a well-functioning labour market will be even greater. One of the working group’s proposals for further preparation is a lifelong-learning reform where every person of working age would be given a skills account or voucher that they could use to update their skills. Employees, employers and society together would bear responsibility for updating workforce skills. This would create a demand-based market for education and training.