The New York Times bestseller guide on how automation is changing the economy, undermining work, and reshaping our lives. Winner of the Financial Times and Forbes award for the best business book of the year.

“Clear, comprehensive, and fearless... an essential contribution to a lasting debate.” —Los Angeles Times

What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin to self-sustain, fewer and fewer people are needed. Artificial intelligence is already on track to make “good jobs” obsolete: many paralegals, journalists, office workers, and even programmers are on the verge of being replaced by robots and intelligent software. With progress, both blue-collar and white-collar jobs will disappear, putting increasing pressure on working and middle-class families. At the same time, households are facing skyrocketing costs, especially in the two major sectors—education and healthcare—that have yet to be transformed by information technology. The result could be massive unemployment and inequality, as well as the collapse of the consumer economy itself.

The previous solutions to technological disruption, particularly more education and training, will not work. We must now decide whether the future will bring broad prosperity or catastrophic inequality and economic insecurity. Rise of the Robots is essential reading to understand what accelerated technology means for our economic prospects—let alone those of our children—and for society as a whole.