Comment by Philippe Aghion

The fear is that the AI revolution might create mass unemployment because it make a number of jobs redundant. We can now automate tasks that we would never have thought we would automate. And for example, generating images, synthesis of notes, even medical consultations, to such large extent, some of the tasks that are involved in those jobs might be now replaced by AI. And there are jobs like for example, translator or dubbing films, movie dubber that may become completely redundant once AI is introduced and generative AI is introduced. So there is this big fear of mass unemployment and there is what we call the existential risk. [...] And the second belief is that AI will create mass unemployment and destroy jobs, including skilled jobs. Here I will try to tamper that belief and say that things do not look as bad as one might think, but each time what will come out of my talk is that it all depends of the institutions and policies we put against the AI revolution. I think all progress of humankind is always the joint result of technological progress and institutional change, and it all depends how institutions adapt or do not adapt to the technological revolution.