In the history of the United States,
there has been an unshakable bond between the idea of hard work and prosperity, a relationship author James Truslow Adams eloquently described as “the American Dream,” a term he coined.
The American dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” Adams wrote in 1931.
However, to many people, the rapid pace of technological change appears to be eroding that linkage. Working hard is fine — as long as you have work. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and automation seem more likely to replace us than help us.
Indeed, global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. estimates that in 60 percent of all occupations, at least 30 percent of job activities can be automated.
The truth is that the American dream and technological advancement have always gone hand in hand. The original European colonists who migrated to America in the 17th century looking for gold eventually found ways to grow tobacco and cotton instead. The agrarian life they established gave way in the 19th and 20th centuries to factory workers who migrated to big cities to pump out clothes, cars and appliances. Today, people flock to the United States, especially Silicon Valley, to write software code for smartphones and self-driving cars.
there has been an unshakable bond between the idea of hard work and prosperity, a relationship author James Truslow Adams eloquently described as “the American Dream,” a term he coined.
The American dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” Adams wrote in 1931.
However, to many people, the rapid pace of technological change appears to be eroding that linkage. Working hard is fine — as long as you have work. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and automation seem more likely to replace us than help us.
Indeed, global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. estimates that in 60 percent of all occupations, at least 30 percent of job activities can be automated.
The truth is that the American dream and technological advancement have always gone hand in hand. The original European colonists who migrated to America in the 17th century looking for gold eventually found ways to grow tobacco and cotton instead. The agrarian life they established gave way in the 19th and 20th centuries to factory workers who migrated to big cities to pump out clothes, cars and appliances. Today, people flock to the United States, especially Silicon Valley, to write software code for smartphones and self-driving cars.
