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Podcast: Talking AI: Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explains what's missing in the conversation
Listen: In this edition of the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with sociologist and all-around-brilliant person, Zeynep Tufekci. Tufekci has been prescient on a number of issues, from Covid causes to misinformation online. Ian caught up with her on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum outside, so pardon the traffic. They discuss what people are missing when they talk about artificial intelligence today. Listen to find out why her answer surprised Ian because it seems so obvious in retrospect.
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.
Striking UAW workers picket outside a Stellantis facility in Center Line, Michigan, on Sept. 22, 2023.
Biden’s auto dilemma
Today, President Joe Biden will join striking autoworkers on the picket line in Michigan.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, will be in the Great Lake State tomorrow, but he’s expected to use a speech in Detroit to pit workers against leaders of their union, the United Auto Workers.
In some ways, Biden has the tougher political task. His image as “friend of the working man” stands at odds with the current image of his Democratic Party which, in the words of pundit and activist Paul Begala, “has gone from being the party of the factory floor to the party of the faculty lounge.” Biden’s outspoken support for labor unions – and the historical rarity of a US president joining a picket line – demonstrate his political commitment to win more working-class votes.
There’s an even more direct political calculus here. To win reelection, Biden badly needs Michigan, home to a big share of US autoworkers. The percentage of union members is also high in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Trump won in 2016 because he won all three of these states. Biden won in 2020 because he won them all back for Democrats.
But… Biden’s policy agenda depends heavily on support for production of electric vehicles in the battle to limit climate change. The UAW has so far refused to endorse Biden’s reelection bid, in part, according to the union’s president, because Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has provided large financial incentives to car companies to make more electric vehicles without including guarantees for better worker pay and conditions.
That’s why this strike, and Biden’s role in it, are important 2024 election stories to watch.
US job growth slows for a fifth straight month, but labor market remains strong.
What We’re Watching: US jobs report & new China, Afghan energy extraction deal
Jobs report: US labor market remains strong
The Fed’s interest rate hikes, designed to battle inflation, have slowed US job growth for a fifth straight month. The American economy added 223,000 jobs in December, well below last year's peak of 714,000 in February but still above expectations of around 200,000. The December numbers put the monthly average for 2022 at 375,000. A slowdown has been in effect since last August, but the labor market is still hot: 4.5 million jobs were created last year, the second highest since 1940. Such resilience likely means more interest rate hikes are to be expected. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate hit a historic low of 3.5%. The leisure and hospitality industry saw the biggest job gains, followed by healthcare and construction, while retail, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing saw the least. President Joe Biden said the historic job gains are giving American families more “breathing room” amid the “cost-of-living squeeze.”
China, Afghan energy extraction deal reached
The Taliban have signed their first energy extraction deal. A Chinese company has sealed a three-year, $540 million agreement with Afghanistan to drill and extract oil from the Amu Darya basin in the north. The deal spans three Afghan provinces and will create 3,000 jobs. No country officially recognizes the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government, and it has been globally criticized for its treatment of women. Yet, the Chinese have maintained and strengthened their diplomatic presence in the war-torn country, which sits atop an estimated $3 trillion of untapped oil and minerals. Beijing’s presence has been punished by the Islamic State, which attacked and injured several Chinese personnel in Kabul last month. But with tensions rising between Beijing’s erstwhile South Asian ally, Pakistan, and the Taliban, whose offshoots have stepped up their attacks on the nuclear-armed Islamic Republic, we’ll be watching to see whether the new oil deal might convince the Taliban to halt their support of terrorism.The Graphic Truth: World not yet fully back to work
It’s been almost three years since the COVID pandemic swung a wrecking ball through our societies, our economies, and our workplaces. But even now, with the most acute phase of the crisis behind us, many aspects of life still aren’t back to what they were in the B.C. (Before Coronavirus) era. One great example is the hours worked in our economies. When the pandemic struck, lockdowns and other restrictions caused the number of hours worked on a quarterly basis around the world to plunge by nearly 20% compared to the final quarter of 2019, the baseline for “last moments of pre-pandemic normalcy.” But since then, the world as a whole still hasn’t gotten back to pre-pandemic levels of hours worked — we’re still almost 1.5% below them. Lower-income countries are struggling more than rich ones to get back to where they were, and there is only one region of the world that shows more hours worked now than before the pandemic — can you guess which one it is?
COVID upended the job market & focused employers on skills
COVID had few silver linings. But perhaps one of them is that it upended the labor market in ways that, for once, favored workers over employers.
The switch to virtual meant that recruiters were forced to urgently find people with the right digital skills instead of waiting for those that had gone to the "right" schools.
"The talent market became a little dry," Jonathan Rochelle, VP of Product Management, Learning Content & Instructor Experience at Linkedin, says during a Global Stage livestream discussion.
LinkedIn data, he adds, shows that the trend continues to grow.
Watch the full Global Stage discussion, live from the 77th UN General Assembly.
How to Avoid The Awkward Hallway Pass: Work in 60 Seconds
The 10-5 rule can help increase civility and reduce awkwardness in the workplace.
It's Work in 60 Seconds with Adam Grant and special guest Chris Porath!
And go deeper on topics like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence at Microsoft on The Issues.
- Ten Tips for Creating Respect and Civility in Your Workplace ... ›
- Five Steps to Workplace Civility - The Emily Post Institute, Inc. ›
- Google's Goals for Civility in the Workplace | HRExecutive.com ... ›
- Make Civility the Norm on Your Team ›
- Council Post: Four Steps Proven To Cultivate Workplace Civility ›