Artificial intelligence and upskilling

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other new technologies (e.g., advanced automation, robotics, and autonomous vehicles) will have a significant impact on our economic, political, and social systems, particularly on labor markets. This raises important questions on whether and how new technology impacts the need for employees to gain additional skills or retrain to succeed in an economy of the future. An increasing number of companies are pursuing such “upskilling” and “reskilling” initiatives, highlighting the importance of advancing our knowledge in this policy and research area.

On October 6, the Brookings Center on Regulation and Markets hosted an event focused on these critical issues. The event started with a keynote address from Andrew Ng, founder of Deep Learning.AI, co-founder and chairman of Coursera, and general partner of AI Fund. His speech was followed by a Q&A session, moderated by Alberto Rossi, a professor and director of the AI, Analytics, and Future of Work Initiative at Georgetown University. A panel of experts then discussed the intersection of artificial intelligence and upskilling in greater detail: David Estrada, chief legal and policy officer of Nuro, Inc.; Morgan Frank, assistant professor at University of Pittsburgh; and Gad Levanon, chief economist at Burning Glass Institute. The panel and Q&A sessions were moderated by Loni Mahanta, nonresident fellow in the Center on Regulation and Markets at Brookings.