This paper was written during my MBA at NYU Stern, exploring how AI might reshape work and economic inequality.

Part 1 Will AI reduce poverty and financial inequality or exacerbate it?

I think about financial inequality a lot, especially on the microeconomic level. My staff at Saks Fifth Avenue were often in precarious financial situations and also happen to be from minority communities. Being on time or even making it to their shift could be an issue because most of them lived further from the store, had older cars, and had less reliable transportation modes. They were one of the 40% of Americans that don’t have $400 in the bank for an emergency expense.

One example that sticks out is a young black woman who would often miss work to care for her sick mom. Even though she was exceptionally bright, hardworking, and customers loved her, the nature of store-based retail means that she had 0% productivity while caring for mom. This behavior not only put me in a bind when having to enforce time and attendance policy, but it also meant that she wasn’t in a position to advance her career, even though she was very talented.

AI for Tax Policy?

My research brought me to an article by Cate Lawrence for Codemotion entitled “How AI Can Help Solve the Challenges of Economic and Financial Inequality.”

A team at Salesforce published research using a machine learning framework to test different types of economic policy. The AI Economist ran different scenarios to find an optimal tax policy to reduce inequality. Their research showed their model was 16% more effective than a framework proposed by MacArthur “genius” Emmanuel Saez and the National Bureau of Economic Research.

AI Economist Simulation Source: Codemotion

On the other hand, we’ve had discussions in class about algorithmic discrimination and humans’ need to audit algorithms to minimize bias.

Mike Walsh writes in Harvard Business Review that “there is another more insidious side-effect of our increasingly AI-powered society — the systematic inequality created by the changing nature of work itself” (source: HBR). Walsh is also critical of the possibility of “algorithmically managed jobs” that create job polarization between high-skill employees and lower-skill contractors. We can already see the divide in gig economy companies like Uber, Grubhub, and Instacart: highly-paid computer engineers and low-paid delivery people.

To borrow the language from Charles Mann, Mike Walsh is the prophet foretelling our AI future’s grim possibilities. The technological optimists are the wizards who believe our human ingenuity and altruism will lead to a better world. These wizards include the G-MAFIA (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, IBM, and Amazon), an acronym created by author Amy Webb to describe the nine tech companies that are shaping our AI future. Webb writes,”

“I firmly believe that the leaders of these nine companies are driven by a profound sense of altruism and a desire to serve the greater good: they clearly see the potential of AI to improve health care and longevity, to solve our impending climate issues, and to lift millions of people out of poverty.”

This class has raised my awareness of AI applications hoovering up large pools of public data to inform decisions. That knowledge also means I’m now conscious of the lack of data privacy regulations in the United States.

In popular culture, the HBO show Westworld explores the perils of expansive data-collection. Publications like Wired, The Atlantic, and VentureBeat have encouraged all developers to watch Westworld. The fractured way we consume media means I’m not confident that a singular piece of content like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle will galvanize public outrage to AI’s negative aspects. It’s hard to paint AI a villain when it is faceless and shapeless.

I’m hopeful that AI can reduce poverty and economic inequality, but citizens will need to organize and push governments to create and enforce regulations to achieve these goals. Establishing more vital data privacy rules and limiting what information algorithms can consider might help the government shape more equitable outcomes.

Part 2

Individual

What are one to three changes you anticipate in your own occupation over the next 10 years?

In other assignments, I have mentioned that my intention for an MBA was to transition away from store-based retail. The US has too much square footage related to retail, and the pandemic has sped up the speed with which stores are closing.

My current thinking is to transition into a communications and marketing role. The role will change in a few ways.

R and Python becoming standard skills for data analysis
Data Visualization will be table stakes. The datasets will be immense. Turning insights generated by an algorithm into an easily digested story will be a useful skillset.
Public awareness of data privacy is increasing. A lot of this is dependent on any privacy laws that are passed around data collection.

Give us three concrete steps you can take over the next five years to prepare for possible transition.

Practice using data analysis, visualization tools, and visual storytelling.
Make connections with the data viz community. Even if I transition to a higher role that isn’t in the weeds, it’ll be essential to stay conversant on topics.
Transition to a company that uses data visualization as a core aspect of its job. This role could be in a marketing, product, or operations role.

What is one technical area/skill you will personally invest in learning more about? Why?

As stated above, I want to develop my coding skills in R and Python. I also want to establish my visualization skills with tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Datawrapper. I’m using CodeAcademy or other resources like Mode.com and Replit to learn these skills.

What is one broad area of continuing education you will personally invest in? Outline your execution plan.

One broader area of continuing education is to expand my yoga and meditation practice. It’s been a helpful tool to calm my anxiety and ADHD. This practice has also improved my ability to focus my energy on tasks that I can significantly impact.

What are three topics on which you might set up Google Alerts as a way of staying current?

AI auditing
Artificial intelligence + equality
Flowing data (a data visualization website)

I also use Twitter and Medium a lot to stay on top of thought leaders in different industries. I’ve found it to be a better “blog” discovery tool than google alerts.

LEARN. HOW. TO. CODE.
I would also encourage a kid considering college to Minor in the humanities. I have significantly benefited from my undergrad degree in English. It has enabled me to write clearly as well as deconstruct language and messages.
Make stuff using AI. It doesn’t have to be complicated. My own efforts to learn Python and run a simple script are gratifying.

Organizational

What one to three job/work roles are at the greatest risk in your (current or recent) organization? [Identify the organization you are referencing for this and future answers.]

I’m currently working with a boutique Management Consulting company. Their clients are almost entirely federal contractors.

Their business model provides clients with subject matter experts to provide the insights necessary to win federal contracts. To do this, the company hires a lot of former procurement officers. It’s an arcane process with a labyrinth set of Federal Acquisition Regulations to administer precisely.

In 2018, the Air Force conducted a pilot study to determine if they could better automate its procurement process.

Once these tools are fully vetted and deployed, the procurement experts at my Management Consulting will be at risk.

What are three job/work roles for which to encourage growth and aggressive retention in your organization?

Retain former federal senior-level executives. They have 1:1 relationships with federal agencies that AI can’t replace.
Grow an AI automation practice focused on finding ways for their clients to integrate AI in their operations. This service would make sense if it directly helped their clients become more competitive federal contractors.
CRM & Marketing Manager would help maintain the health of their internal customer database. The manager would also develop automated dashboards and other reporting to support senior consultants. Lastly, this role would also increase the use of AI to identify potential clients.

What is your organization’s workforce “transition within” strategy? How should it improve?

There isn’t one in place. If I were to implement one, the company would need to start to look at what processes could be replaced or augmented with AI tools.

Even without a comprehensive plan, there needs to be a plan to upskill their clerical staff to do more than process invoices or data-entry on an ERP system.

What is your organization’s workforce “transition out” strategy? How should it improve?

There isn’t one in place. Most of the consultants are in a post-retirement career, where they still have valuable knowledge but may not want to work the hours they once did. As mentioned above, the organization needs to be very aware of being disrupted by improvements with the federal government using AI to speed up procurement.

The one area where they need to manage a “transition out” strategy actively is any operational staff incapable of learning the new data skills they will need.

What message should your CEO be communicating to the organization about the digital future of work? Craft a few sentences.

Our clients come to us to help them navigate the federal market. As the federal government incorporates more AI in its procurement processes, it is time to begin our transition to an organization that leverages technology to augment our capabilities. The future of work will require us to understand how to interact with AI systems, consider the appropriate questions to ask, and judge the results and insights that serve our client’s needs.

What is one leadership change needed in your organization you believe is critical for it to prepare for the digital future of work?

No senior-level officer is thinking about this transition. So a “digital transformation” executive seems to make sense.

What is one culture change needed in your organization you believe is critical for preparing for the digital future of work?

The company is significantly behind in understanding the AI change that is coming. Educating everyone on the basics and how it may affect them is the first step.

Part 1

Will AI reduce poverty and financial inequality or exacerbate it?