There was a interesting debate on TED Talks last week, between Robert Gordon, Economics Professor at Northwestern University and Erik Brynjolfsson, Professor of Management at MIT Sloan School of Management. on how they see the future of work and innovation. Some months ago Gordon declared that growth was essentially over, with the most game changing innovations having already been invented. In this debate this argument is further developed and discussed.
Brynjolfsson however is more optimistic. He adopts the approach taken by W. Brian Arthur, who argued that technology can consist of inventions with a direct benefit, and inventions that help us make other inventions. Brynjolfsson believes we’re currently getting to grips with a lot of inventions that once fully understood will give society a huge leap forward. Click on link to play below and enjoy!