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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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HUMAN WORK IN THE AGE OF SMART MACHINES

Jamie Merisotis

We are living through a time of upheaval and social unrest, with increasing threats to global health, democratic institutions, and the world's economies. But behind the alarming headlines is another issue that must be quickly addressed: the role of workers is being transformed - and often rendered obsolete - by automation and artificial intelligence.
As Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, argues in Human Work In the Age of Smart Machines, we can-and must-rise to this challenge by preparing to work alongside smart machines doing that which only humans can: thinking critically, reasoning ethically, interacting interpersonally, and serving others with empathy.

In Human Work, Merisotis, author of the award-winning book America Needs Talent, offers a roadmap for the large-scale, radical changes we must make in order to find abundant and meaningful work in the 21st century. His vision centers on developing our unique capabilities as humans through a lifetime of learning opportunities that are easy to navigate, deliver fair results, and offer a broad range of credentials-from college degrees to occupational certifications. By shifting long-held ideas about how the workforce should function and expanding our concept of work, he argues that we can harness the population's potential, encourage a deeper sense of
community, and erase a centuries-long system of inequality.

As the headlines blink red, now is the time to redesign education, training, and the workplace as a whole. Yes, many jobs will be lost to technology, but if we promote people's deeper potential, engaging human work will always be available.

JAMIE MERISOTIS is president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, an independent private foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. He previously served as co-founder and president of the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy. He is a frequent media commentator and contributor, appearing in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Politico, Roll Call, Washington Monthly, and other publications.
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Published 2020-10-06 by Rosetta Books

Comments

Artificial intelligence and the age of robots and 'smart machines' are often seen as threats-which could make modern economies even less fair, and further drain decency and connectedness from social life. This book is a practical guide to a more desirable human and technological future.

This book is a refreshing alternative to sensationalistic claims that AI, robots, and automation will soon replace a majority of human workers. Merisotis presents an inclusive vision of the growing need for work that only humans can provide, with constructive steps that educators, leaders, and workers themselves can take to increase their employability and life satisfaction.

HUMAN WORK reminds us that no matter how technologically advanced our culture becomes, we will always need human morality and will require human beings to make ethical decisions. Jamie Merisotis's persuasive new book is a call not to abandon our ethical intelligence in favor of an artificial one.

Jamie Merisotis offers a compelling vision for the future of education by calling for learning systems that prepare people for human work-the work that only people can do with artificial intelligence and automation on the rise.

A must-read for those committed to building a better future.

Jamie Merisotis lays out a powerful argument that the rise of new technologies does not need to accelerate inequality. This book is a timely blueprint for us all.

HUMAN WORK is a prescient book that has looked around the corner and anticipated the deep shifts ahead in the American working world. A must-read for leaders in business, education, and government.

HUMAN WORK reminds us that work is about meaning, and that in preparing for the future of work we must create pathways toward a more just and equitable world.

As a leader who understands that talent is at the very heart of our national economic success, Jamie Merisotis insightfully explains how we must transform ourselves into a society of lifelong learners and build a new human work infrastructure. This book is a must-read and provides a smart roadmap to create more inclusive opportunities for more Americans.

Jamie Merisotis takes concepts too often used to justify exclusion - credentials, skills, and technology - and repurposes them to provide an ambitious but pragmatic blueprint for dismantling long-standing systemic disparities. HUMAN WORK is required reading for anyone committed to the future success of our increasingly diverse nation.