The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will generate unprecedented opportunities and challenges for employers and workers.
The accelerating pace of automation will likely lead to productivity increases on a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution, while displacing tens of millions of American workers from their current occupations – a phenomenon coined by Littler attorneys as TIDE™, technology-induced displacement of employees. Too often, news reports dramatically focus on AI and robots as job killers. Unfortunately, the debate over whether jobs eliminated will outnumber jobs created ignores two related and no less important questions:
- With the fast-paced arrival of innovative and transformative technologies, will workers whose jobs are most likely to be disrupted have the skills and training required for the new jobs being created?
- Will employers be able to fill existing vacancies as this unstoppable transformation occurs?
The widely supported goal of creating meaningful, well-paying jobs is anchored in the belief that a resilient and motivated American workforce can acquire the training and skills needed to perform the jobs of the 21st century. Sadly, the needed training and vocational education programs are far too few and do not properly leverage the educational potential of modern technology. Preparing today’s workforce with the knowledge and skills required to participate in the workplace of the future represents the greatest human talent challenge of the last 100 years.
Report: Automation & Artificial Intelligence: TIDE at the Tipping Point
Report: The Future is Now: Workforce Opportunities and the Coming TIDE
The Emma Coalition
At present, there is no employer-focused, non-partisan group dedicated to educating the employer community and policymakers about the issues surrounding TIDE, much less an organization whose mission is achieving the twin goals of maximizing the economic and social benefits of TIDE for America’s companies and workers while minimizing its disruptive effects. To that end, Littler and Prime Policy Group, Washington’s preeminent bipartisan government relations firm, have formed the Emma Coalition™.
The Coalition is dedicated to educating the employer community and policymakers about the issues surrounding TIDE, and maximizing the economic and social benefits of TIDE for America’s companies and workers while minimizing its disruptive costs for workers and companies. The Coalition will directly engage policymakers, educating them on the importance of confronting TIDE and attempting to shape policy through thought leadership and advocacy. In addition, the Coalition will engage with employers themselves to establish recommended practices and create training programs designed to provide employers with workers possessing the skills needed to compete in the post-TIDE economy.
