Artificial intelligence will transform the nature of work and affect virtually all aspects of the economy. However, artificial intelligence is not the first technology to have such wide-reaching impacts on the workforce, and the United States has gone through various technological transitions in the past.

For instance, the steam engine helped give rise to the Industrial Revolution. Initially developed in the 18th century to pump water out of mines, the technology behind the steam engine was quickly found to have other uses that spurred industry and innovation. The steam engine disrupted the jobs of many workers and made certain skillsets less in demand or even obsolete, but it also created many new manufacturing jobs. Read More