Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for The Argument
The Argument · July 23 · 1 hr 5 min

Why AI might not replace us after all

Most Americans fear that AI is about to cause widespread job losses, so Matt Yglesias and Jerusalem Demsas brought in their first-ever guest, Timothy B. Lee of the Understanding AI newsletter, to break it all down. Matt thinks a white-collar wipeout is coming. Jerusalem and Tim think we've got enough time to adapt. Plus, a peer review on a new paper about the effects of mixed-use zoning. (00:00) Our first guest: Tim Lee on AI and jobs (02:27) Matt's case for the white-collar wipeout (05:43) Jobs are bundles of tasks (08:26) The O-ring theory: why one human still matters (18:02) Tim's answer: it's all about timescales (21:27) Chess, Starbucks, and the human preference problem (24:28) The protectionism scramble: gas pumps and self-driving trucks (30:47) The "canaries in the coal mine" study on young workers (38:45) Channeling 2015 Matt: just run a hotter economy (49:30) Peer review: What's actually wrong with zoning? Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate! The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

0:00-1:05:07
Play in

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

Most Americans fear that AI is about to cause widespread job losses, so Matt Yglesias and Jerusalem Demsas brought in their first-ever guest, Timothy B. Lee of the Understanding AI newsletter, to break it all down. Matt thinks a white-collar wipeout is coming. Jerusalem and Tim think we've got enough time to adapt.

Plus, a peer review on a new paper about the effects of mixed-use zoning.

(00:00) Our first guest: Tim Lee on AI and jobs
(02:27) Matt's case for the white-collar wipeout
(05:43) Jobs are bundles of tasks
(08:26) The O-ring theory: why one human still matters
(18:02) Tim's answer: it's all about timescales
(21:27) Chess, Starbucks, and the human preference problem
(24:28) The protectionism scramble: gas pumps and self-driving trucks
(30:47) The "canaries in the coal mine" study on young workers
(38:45) Channeling 2015 Matt: just run a hotter economy
(49:30) Peer review: What's actually wrong with zoning?

Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com 

New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate!

The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

links1

more episodes

All episodes