The 20th century saw recurring concerns and anxieties about automation and its impact on employment. In the 1920s, fears about the rise of automation and mass production led to worries about the future of work. The Great Depression in the 1930s further fueled concerns about technological unemployment. Automations in the form of recorded sound and Ford’s assembly line in the 1940s renewed worries. The 1950s saw increased automation, and the 1960s and 1970s brought fears of job loss for both blue-collar and white-collar workers. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed the advent of the computer age and robotics, intensifying concerns about employment. In the 2000s and 2010s, self-driving cars and advances in technology raised new worries. In the current decade, debates about automation and technological unemployment continue to persist, with discussions about basic income and the impact of generative AI.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concerns about automation | Shift in perception of technology | Increased automation, job displacement continues | Fear of unemployment and societal disorder |
| Proposals for taxing automation | Response to job displacement | Potential implementation of robot taxes | Loss of tax revenue and perceived inequality |
| Renewed concerns about automation | Continued fear of job displacement | Increased automation, calls for investigation | Fear of job loss and societal impact |
| Intensified focus on technological unemployment | Heightened concern | Continued automation, predictions of job loss | Fear of unemployment and societal disruption |
| Advancements in technology raise fear | Heightened concern | Advances in automation, fear of job insecurity | Fear of job loss and perceived obsolescence |
| Rise of self-driving cars and AI | Fear of technological unemployment | Optimistic predictions, debate over robot tax | Potential job displacement and societal impact |
| Introduction of basic income proposal | Response to automation concerns | Debate over policy, potential solution for job loss | Fear of job loss and need for economic security |
| Emergence of generative AI | Renewed concerns about automation | Debate over robot tax, uncertainty about future jobs | Fear of job displacement and impact on society |
| Understanding the limits of technological progress | Shift in perception of impact | Debate over job creation, uncertain future | Uncertainty about job prospects and technological progress |
| Exploration of historical automation fears | Examination of past concerns | Increased awareness of historical pattern | Understanding the recurrent fear of job displacement |