Right now, the US tech economy is booming, but what will be the long-term effects of automation and AI? Are robots about to steal our jobs? Will Facebook throw the next election? Is social democracy doomed to be a casualty of the tech revolution? To answer these questions and more, we’re turning to UC Berkeley economics professor Bradford DeLong.

Brad’s areas of expertise include technological and industrial revolutions; finance and corporate control; the long-term shape of economic history; and the rise and fall of social democracy. Aside from his work at UC Berkeley, Brad is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a blogger at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and a fellow of the Institute for New Economic Thinking.

Join Ars Technica editor-at-large Annalee Newitz in conversation with Brad at the next Ars Technica Live on Wednesday, April 11 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, California. There will be plenty of time for audience questions, too.

Brad also served in the US government as deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy from 1993 to 1995. He worked on the Clinton administration’s 1993 budget, on the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, on the North American Free Trade Agreement, on macroeconomic policy, and on the unsuccessful healthcare reform effort. Before joining the Treasury Department, Professor DeLong was Danziger Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Harvard University.

Ars Live takes place on the second Wednesday of every month at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland (3629 MLK Way). Doors open at 7pm, and the live filming is from 7:30pm to 8:20-ish (be sure to get there early if you want a seat). Stick around afterward for informal discussion, beer, and delicious food.

The event is free but space is limited, so RSVP using Eventbrite. See you soon, Bay Area Arsians!

Can’t make it out to Oakland? Never fear! Episodes will be posted to Ars Technica the week after the live events (watch past events here).