At a Brookings event this week, panelists made some provocative forecasts on the future of work in the face of automation. The two speakers, Nick Hanauer and Scott Santens, are in some ways in opposing camps: Hanauer believes that technology is providing better jobs, and will continue to, while Santens foresees a need for new economic mechanisms as human labor is increasingly displaced. Yet they were in broad agreement on this idea: technological disruption to work is going to be substantial, and we must speed up social and economic innovation to navigate this disruption (a concept that became clear as we researched our forthcoming report, “The Futures of Work”). They also both believe that the future of work could be a positive one, but we have to take deliberate actions for this to be the case.

Hanauer is a venture capitalist out of Seattle, and offered these forecasts:

Robots won’t take all work from us — This future is not going to happen, as it is not one we as a society will choose.

— This future is not going to happen, as it is not one we as a society will choose. Educate for unknown futures — As the future work environment is mysterious, we can only teach future workers how to learn. A high degree of adaptability will be needed as future workers go through 3-4 major transitions during their work lives.

— As the future work environment is mysterious, we can only teach future workers how to learn. A high degree of adaptability will be needed as future workers go through 3-4 major transitions during their work lives. Work will have different motivations — In a high-functioning society, even if basic needs are taken care of, many people will do work as leisure, because it is what they want to do.

Santens is one of the gurus of the universal basic income (UBI) movement, and said this about the future:

Post-jobs, not post-work — Partly because work is about meaning as well as income, work will still be with us, even if it is no longer structured as jobs as we understand them today.

— Partly because work is about meaning as well as income, work will still be with us, even if it is no longer structured as jobs as we understand them today. Enhancing worker power — A UBI that provided everyone with an income floor would enable workers to better bargain with employers, and to choose among positions with more care.

— A UBI that provided everyone with an income floor would enable workers to better bargain with employers, and to choose among positions with more care. Automation will be rapid — It will unfold quickly — for instance in trucking — and we won’t be able to create new jobs fast enough for all the displaced workers.

— It will unfold quickly — for instance in trucking — and we won’t be able to create new jobs fast enough for all the displaced workers. Tech and inequality — Given that technology is privately owned in our society, as it becomes more central it will tend to drive inequality.

— Given that technology is privately owned in our society, as it becomes more central it will tend to drive inequality. Innovations to democracy — We could use technology to enhance democracy, for instance with “liquid democracy” in which one delegates one’s vote on a particular topic to a trusted figure. (One’s science vote could be placed in the hands of Neil deGrasse Tyson, for example). You could also use transferable voting, which could give more room to innovative voices.

— We could use technology to enhance democracy, for instance with “liquid democracy” in which one delegates one’s vote on a particular topic to a trusted figure. (One’s science vote could be placed in the hands of Neil deGrasse Tyson, for example). You could also use transferable voting, which could give more room to innovative voices. Zero employment — “Full employment” should not be our goal; “we should seek zero employment,” with people enabled to do more of what they actually want to do.

Moderator Darrell West suggested that volunteerism could be elevated, for instance by including it as a means to qualify for social benefits.

All told, the panel made a convincing case that there will be many opportunities to approach work differently, if we can overcome our societal inertia.

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