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What does the title "The
Lights in the Tunnel" mean?
The book uses a unique approach: it creates a
mental simulation (or imaginary video game) based on "lights in a tunnel" in
order to help the reader visualize the future economic impact of accelerating technology.
About the Author |
| Martin Ford is the founder of a Silicon Valley-based
software development firm. He has over 25 years experience in the fields of
computer design and software development. He holds a computer engineering degree from
the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a graduate business degree from the University
of California, Los Angeles. |
|
What will the economy of
the future look like?
Where will advancing technology, job automation,
outsourcing and globalization lead?
Is it possible that
accelerating computer technology was a primary cause of the current global economic crisis—and
that even more disruptive impacts lie ahead?
This groundbreaking book by a Silicon Valley computer engineer and
entrepreneur explores these questions and shows how accelerating technology is likely to
have a highly disruptive influence on our economy in the near future—and may well
already be a significant factor in the current global crisis.
THE LIGHTS IN THE TUNNEL
employs a powerful thought experiment to explore the economy of the future. An imaginary
"tunnel of lights" is used to visualize the economic implications of
the new technologies that are likely to appear in the coming years and decades.
The book directly challenges nearly all conventional views of the
future and illuminates the danger that lies ahead if we do not plan for the impact of
rapidly advancing technology. It also offers unique insights into how technology
will intertwine with globalization to shape the twenty-first century and explores ways in
which the economic realities of the future might be leveraged to drive prosperity and to
address global challenges such as poverty and climate change.
Excerpt: Read the: Introduction | Table of Contents
Recent Reviews and News Items
Read the author's blog on Future Economics and Techology at econfuture.wordpress.com. |
The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the
Economy of the Future
This new book takes an in depth look at current trends in
technology and globalization and examines what the likely economic impact will be in the
coming years and decades.
Here are just a few of the questions explored in this
book:
How will job automation impact the economy in the future?
How will the offshore outsourcing trend evolve in the
coming years?
What impact will technologies such as robotics and
artificial intelligence have on the job market?
Did technology play a significant role in the 2007 subprime
meltdown and the subsequent global financial crisis and recession?
How fast can we expect technological change to occur in the
coming years and decades?
Which jobs and industries are likely to be most
vulnerable to automation and offshoring?
Globalization. Collaboration. Telecommuting. Are
these the forces that will shape the workplaces of the future? Or is there
something bigger lurking?
Machine and computer automation will primarily impact low
skilled and low paid workers. True or false?
Will advancing technology always make society as a
whole more wealthy? Or could it someday cause a severe economic depression?
What are the implications of advancing automation
technology for developing nations such as China and India?
The primary economic trend in the
coming decades will be globalization. True or false?
Will a college education continue to be a good bet in the
future?
Recent economic data suggests that, in United States,
we are seeing increasing income inequality and a dwindling middle class. How will this
trend play out in the future?
What will be the economic impact of truly advanced future
technologies, such as nanotechnology?
Retail positions at Wal-mart and other chain stores
have become the jobs of last resort for many workers. Will robots and other forms of
machine automation someday threaten these jobs? If so, what alternatives will the
economy create for these workers?
Do we need to adapt our market-based economic system to
advancing technology or will the same rules continue to work indefinitely?
What government policies might make sense as technology
continues to accelerate?
Read the: Introduction
| Table of Contents |
