126. The Rise of Automation and AI – Curse or Blessing for the Working Class?

If you’re a subscriber of our show, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve switched up the types of content we’ve published lately. We’re working on a lot of new projects, and talking to some interesting people, and we’re excited to share the results our listeners. But until those projects are completed, the conversations are had, and the podcasts are published, we are going to be on a brief hiatus. Our goal is to return with fresh perspectives, new topics, and exciting interviews that will continue to enrich your understanding of the world of economics and Georgism. We’ll be back before you know it; we’re expecting sometime in August or the early fall. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop with any new updates or announcements about the show. We deeply appreciate your support and patience during this time. I encourage you to revisit some of our past episodes—there’s plenty of content to explore after all, and you might discover new insights you missed the first time around. Stay connected with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or our website, hgsss.org. We can’t wait to come back stronger and better, delivering the quality content you’ve come to expect from The Henry George School Podcast. Thank you for being part of our community. Until we meet again, stay curious and keep questioning everything. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Today our discussion comes from our most recent seminar “The Rise of Automation and AI – Curse or Blessing for the Working Class?” and was recorded in May of 2024. Our Talk is hosted by our Director of Education, Ibrahima Drame, who is joined by Dr. Sandeep Sacheti, Dr. Ansel Schiavone, and Mr. Ed Dodson. Dr. Sandeep is an Executive Vice President at Wolters Kluwer, an IT and software company for professional services. He received his doctorate from UC Berkeley and has 20 patents in decision science, fraud verification, and identification. Dr. Ansel Schiavone is an economics professor at St. John’s University where he researches inequality, microeconomics, and the political economy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dension University and his PhD from the University of Utah, both in economics. Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received his economics degree. Ed was also a manager at Fannie Mae. Edward is also the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles. Together we discussed why AI won’t replace as many jobs as we think, how Neo-classical labor models fail to hold up in the real world, and the Georgist perspective on how AI would impact labor throughout the economy.  To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Dr. Semmler is the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development at the New School in New York City, where he researches macroeconomics, the economics of climate change, and financial markets. Dr. Semmler is also a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Capitalism and Society, an institute that examines the shortcomings of orthodox economics and looks to understand the economy through a more realistic and complex lens. Willi has also taught at other universities such as the American University in Washington D.C., the University of Berlin, and the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He is the author of numerous journal articles and has written many books such as Asset Prices, Booms, and Recessions and Sustainable Macroeconomics, Climate Risks, and Energy Transitions. Dr. Semmler is a trustee and long-time member here at the Henry George School as well. He is an expert on all things macroeconomics, sustainability, and business cycles. Dr. Semmler studied at the University of Munich and Technical University in Germany and earned his PhD from the Free University of Berlin. Together we discussed why economics should begin considering the environment in its analysis, why environmental risks pose economic risks, and how the profit motive incentivizes conservation or degradation. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Dr. Horn is the Director of Practical Philosophy and Ancient Philosophy at the University of Bonn. Most of his work focuses on classical philosophers like Plato or Aristotle and how we deal with modern questions of ethics and morals. However, Dr. Horn has also written extensively on political philosophy, and the roles ethics and justice play within politics. In addition to his position at the University of Bonn, Dr. Horn also teaches at the New School. He is an alum of the New Institute, a German think tank dedicated to understanding the relationship between well-being and living standards, and how this impacts the human condition. Today, Dr. Horn joined us to explain environmental ethics, some of the different schools of thought within ecological ethics, and introduced us to the idea of political ecology. It was quite a fascinating discussion, to say the least. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Dr. Rowland served in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a Senior Project Manager for Environmental Remediation to help the city improve environmental quality. He has taught at various institutions, such as Pace University and here at the Henry George School of Social Science. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Asset Leadership Network, a group that promotes financial awareness to achieve social objectives. Dr. Marty Rowland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from the University of New Orleans, both in Environmental Engineering. He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of New Orleans as well. We were joined by Dr. Rowland to discuss Henry George’s work on monetary policy and central banking, some critiques of George’s analysis, and the difference between metal-backed currencies versus fiat currencies.  To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Today’s discussion was recorded in April of 2024, where our guest, Mr. Matthew Colantonio, joined us. Mr. Colantonio is an active community member and has focused his career on economic and community development. He was an AmeriCorps volunteer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he saw the importance of effective land and tax policy. Currently, he is a statistician at the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in business from St. John’s University, my alma mater, and his master’s in applied economics from Boston College. Mr. Colantonio joined us in discussing the history of Pennsylvania, how Henry George’s single tax can jumpstart Pittsburg’s property sector, and why speculation tends to depress economic outcomes.  To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language. Dr. Perry joined us to discuss why raising or lowering taxes is not realistic if the government should have the ability to tax citizens, and how the how the separation of state developed over time. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Mr. Van Gorder is an independent scholar and cofounder of the Greshm Institute. The Greshm Institute is a non-profit organization that fosters dialogue around Universal Basic Income (UBI). Derek is also working on a series of essays on the dynamics of UBI and how it is economically viable. In addition to his work with the Greshm Institute, Mr. Van Gorder is also a filmmaker and videographer for documentaries, indie films, and music videos. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. We were joined by Mr. Van Gorder to discuss the dynamics of UBI, how it can be used for monetary policy, and why a universal basic income is the most efficient policy tool for macroeconomic management. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on the Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language. We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss his analysis on recent macroeconomic trends, how asset bubbles are formed, and why the Fed always miscalculates unemployment.  To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support

Today’s discussion was recorded in January of 2024, where we were joined by our guest, Dr. Walter E. Perry. Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, and his Ph.D. in Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from Trinity College in Dublin. He has conducted extensive research on Money Supply and recent trends in Monetary Policy. He is also the Managing Director of Fiduciary Automation, a company that helps businesses check if their financial ideas meet legal requirements and identify areas of ambiguity. In addition to Fiduciary Automation, Dr. Perry is also the founder of XML Special Interest Group, a platform for professionals who use Extensible Markup Language (XML), a coding language.  We were joined by Dr. Perry to discuss why the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy has been ineffective, how AI and computer science can be used to understand why monetary policy is failing, and a brief history of modern monetary history. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smart-talk-hgsss/support