Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics

The literature exploring the effects of technological change on the labour market often relies on a very particular understanding of the capabilities of machines - known as the 'ALM hypothesis'. However, this hypothesis has often led this literature to underestimate these capabilities. Tas...

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Main Author: Susskind, D
Format: Working paper
Published: University of Oxford 2017
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author Susskind, D
author_facet Susskind, D
author_sort Susskind, D
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description The literature exploring the effects of technological change on the labour market often relies on a very particular understanding of the capabilities of machines - known as the 'ALM hypothesis'. However, this hypothesis has often led this literature to underestimate these capabilities. Tasks that were believed to be out of reach of automation can now be automated. I set out two explanations for this underestimation - one that is explored in the recent literature and maintains the ALM hypothesis, and a new explanation that challenges it. I propose a new hypothesis that contains the ALM hypothesis as a special case. Revised: April 2018
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spelling oxford-uuid:554f4c9c-6c78-44b5-9e93-788c731bec5f2022-03-26T16:43:13ZRe-thinking the capabilities of machines in economicsWorking paperhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_8042uuid:554f4c9c-6c78-44b5-9e93-788c731bec5fBulk import via SwordSymplectic ElementsUniversity of Oxford2017Susskind, DThe literature exploring the effects of technological change on the labour market often relies on a very particular understanding of the capabilities of machines - known as the 'ALM hypothesis'. However, this hypothesis has often led this literature to underestimate these capabilities. Tasks that were believed to be out of reach of automation can now be automated. I set out two explanations for this underestimation - one that is explored in the recent literature and maintains the ALM hypothesis, and a new explanation that challenges it. I propose a new hypothesis that contains the ALM hypothesis as a special case. Revised: April 2018
spellingShingle Susskind, D
Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title_full Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title_fullStr Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title_full_unstemmed Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title_short Re-thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
title_sort re thinking the capabilities of machines in economics
work_keys_str_mv AT susskindd rethinkingthecapabilitiesofmachinesineconomics