Internet-enabled technologies continue to disrupt markets and industries at a breathtaking clip. Corporations are increasingly seeing exponential increases in productivity from Internet-enabled automation and the Internet of Things. That disruption is pushing the American workforce to a place where it needs to be more and more technologically adroit. With artificial intelligence, autonomous cars, virtual reality, 3D/advanced manufacturing, and robotics, the skills required of the American labor market bears little resemblance to what was needed just a generation ago. Those trends will only continue and the Internet connects everyone and everything. Jobs are literally being transformed. Fortunately, the strength of America has always been its workers and their ability to adapt to challenges and innovation. While one might meet this impending shift with trepidation, we believe it presents an amazing opportunity for America to lead the world into the economic future. Our panel will explore how policymakers, NGOs, and industry leaders can help the American labor force capture the opportunities presented by these changes and fill the workforce needs of the 21st century American economy.
