AI era forum to explore future of work, learning, and inequality

The upcoming 5th People and Digital Forum, scheduled for next month, will tackle the critical theme of "AI Era: The Future of Work and Learning." As generative AI reshapes industries and challenges traditional education, domestic and international experts will convene to explore adaptive strategies and solutions.

A key focus will be on the complex relationship between automation and employment. Carl Benedikt Frey, a renowned economist from Oxford University, will deliver a keynote address on "Designing the Future of Work in the AI Transition: Conditions for Good Jobs and Sustainable Progress." Frey, who previously sparked debate with his research on automation risks, emphasizes that the impact of AI on jobs hinges less on the technology itself and more on institutional frameworks and political choices. He draws parallels with the Industrial Revolution, noting how political and social contexts in Britain and France led to vastly different outcomes for workers, highlighting the importance of equitable distribution of AI-generated benefits to prevent concentrated suffering.

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The impact of AI on jobs hinges less on the technology itself and more on institutional frameworks and political choices.

Another keynote speaker, Sarah O'Connor, Deputy Editor at the Financial Times, will address "AI Transition and Deepening Inequality: Who Bears the Burden and How Should It Be Shared?" Drawing on her reporting from the front lines of technological change, from translators working with AI-generated text to logistics workers surrounded by robots, O'Connor will examine the shifting quality of jobs. She questions whether workers are being integrated into machine systems rather than having their jobs replaced, and how fundamental concepts like fairness and humanity are being redefined within algorithmic frameworks. O'Connor seeks answers in the history of workers' resistance to achieve more humane labor conditions.

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Are workers being integrated into machine systems rather than having their jobs replaced, and are fundamental questions like fairness, merit, and humanity being redefined within that system (algorithm)?

The forum will also feature a roundtable discussion on "Rewriting the Rules of the AI Transition: Designing Institutions and Solidarity," moderated by International Labour Organization (ILO) senior economist 이상헌. Panelists will share national experiences and explore solutions for distributing productivity gains from AI and ensuring a just transition that protects vulnerable populations. Practical applications will be discussed in a session on "Working with AI in the Field: How Can We Work Together?" featuring experts from companies like OpenAI Korea, Bank Salad, and POSCO Holdings, who will share their on-the-ground experiences.

Adding a unique perspective, author Jang Kang-myung will deliver a special lecture on "The Future of Work" following lunch. He will analyze the changes in the Go world after the AlphaGo shock, offering insightful questions about the evolving nature of work in an AI-dominated future. The forum aims to provide a comprehensive platform for understanding and navigating the profound societal shifts brought about by artificial intelligence.

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How to distribute the productivity gains created during the AI transition process, and how to achieve a just transition so that disadvantages are not concentrated on vulnerable groups.