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The chairman of President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett, recently proclaimed that “there are a heck of a lot of U.S. companies” that will suffer and watch “their earnings being downgraded,” as the U.S.-China trade dispute slogs on. He’s right. Tariffs are a direct threat to American families, workers and companies, hindering economic growth and slowing hiring. But the administration’s [...]
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In our recent book, What To Do When Machines Do Everything we argue that in 10 years’ time employment levels in the Western world will be higher than they are today. For some people that’s a head scratcher. In our analysis, Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t, as it’s popularly portrayed in the click-bait media, simply a job destroyer. AI is a new tool – a datascope perhaps – that allows us to see things [...]
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The leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies are gathering in Argentina for the annual G-20 Summit. All eyes will be on President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping as they meet face-to-face to discuss escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. With tariffs on many Chinese goods set to increase to 25 percent in January, both leaders must take this opportunity [...]
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Digital technologies have created innovations and led to higher living standards that were unthinkable when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was first implemented in 1994. Then, internet access was limited; now people regularly connect with one another from the palm of their hands and digital devices connect to create smarter cities, more precise manufacturing, and improved healthcare. [...]
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Last week’s election results will soon usher in a divided Congress in Washington. While we can no doubt anticipate lively policy debate in the foreseeable future, one issue where there is bipartisan agreement – both within Congress and the administration – is the need for successful workforce development programs. It is essential that we equip our workforce with the proper skills to qualify for the [...]
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Innovators are focused on Colombia right now, and it’s not just because of the “Orange Economy” principles of innovation and creativity permeating throughout the Duque government. Recent actions give confidence that this new administration understands the environment needed for technology and entrepreneurship to flourish in Colombia. One example is the draft ICT modernization bill that the Duque government [...]
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Across the globe, governments are realizing that outdated approaches -- from trade agreements to privacy guidelines – no longer address the needs of the modern economy. In response, many are quickly moving to update policies to better address today’s digital reality. But in some cases, this haste can lead to serious, unintended consequences that could cause more harm than good. In that vein, international [...]
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When Joseph Adjei enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he struggled as a newly deaf student from Ghana. “Where I lived,” Joseph said, “they believed that deaf people can’t do anything.” In class he tried to read lips, but he hadn’t yet learned American Sign Language. “It was very, very difficult.” Everything changed when Joseph’s class began using Microsoft Translator—a program that uses [...]
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Around the world, entrepreneurs, governments and academia are working to harness the benefits of emerging technologies. Few advancements are showing as much potential and opportunity to transform society as artificial intelligence (AI). From medical devices that are helping doctors and nurses diagnose patients quicker and more accurately, to self-driving cars that are making roads safer and reducing [...]
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The tech sector is committed to achieving greater diversity, inclusion, and equity. Making progress towards that aspiration has been slow. Fortunately, the future is brighter than the past, in part because of the partnerships we have built over the years and will celebrate this week as a part of the 48th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference and the 2018 Leadership Conference for [...]
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