Media Coverage
LaGrandeur Discusses Future of AI and Economic Policy Reform on The Academic Minute
Sep 05, 2017
In a segment of The Academic Minute, Kevin LaGrandeur, professor of English, NYIT College of Arts and Sciences, explains why artificial intelligence is the biggest job killer in our society, and how the U.S. government can prevent the potential negative impact of technological unemployment. Supporting recent testimony by Elon Musk to U.S. governors, LaGrandeur states:
“Automation poses a serious threat to American jobs. In fact, intelligent technology is displacing not only manual labor, but also middle-class jobs and higher level jobs. This displacement includes journalists, technical writers, and accountants, a profession that risks a very significant chance of being displaced by intelligent technology in the next ten years.”
LaGrandeur notes that relieving the effects of this displacement will require fundamentally new approaches to economic policy, such as universal basic income, as Musk has mentioned, or perhaps a shorter workweek and a mechanism for paying individuals when their personal data is used by technology firms to turn a profit. Other suggested policy changes include judicious regulation for the development of protocols to build and test AI, procedures for fail-safe controls built into AI, methods to examine the reliability of these controls, and most importantly, government investments to research non-military forms of artificial intelligence, so that benevolent innovations in technology could offset dangerous ones.
KAIT-8 TV: “Osteopathic Program Boosting Local Economy”
Aug 31, 2017
Shane Speights, site dean for NYITCOM at A-State, discusses the medical school campus’ positive impact on the Jonesboro economy on KAIT-8. In the television interview, Speights provides specific figures on this boost, stating:
“During the first two years of our medical school, the economic impact is expected to be 70 million dollars and we’re in our second year right now. A 70 million dollar impact to northeast Arkansas by the end of this second year of our medical school existence is obviously exciting for this area.”
He also notes that while he’s thrilled about the economic boost, the medical school will also deliver on its key objective to help improve the medical care available in rural areas. “As we increase the number of doctors in the area, [there will be things like] decreased wait times in ER’s and in Urgent Care. So, now patients can get quicker care by a physician,” said Speights.