Annie Lowrey

What would you do if the government mailed you a check for $1,000 every month? For many of us, our lives would be much the same, but for others — entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, parents of young children, blue-collar workers approaching retirement age, the homeless — the world might be radically different, as would our economy, country, and our sense of what we owe one another. This sweeping, simple idea is called a UBI: Universal Basic Income. It is being trialled everywhere from Canada to Kenya. In this talk, one of the world’s leading UBI experts, Annie Lowrey, imagines how it might transform our world, for better and worse, with an eye towards what it would mean for your sector.

Why isn't growth working for everyone anymore? In this talk, Lowrey will look at various important topics, including automation, wage stagnation, and inequality — and how the technological and political forces that have made the United States the most dynamic and richest country in the world have also left tens of millions of Americans behind. More than that, she examines what to do about it, and how the country could have a wealthier and more equitable future. Is the country fated to fall behind the Chinas and the Indias of the world going forward? Against this global and historical backdrop, and with an eye for your specific industry, Lowrey’s talk is a must-hear for anyone interested in their organization’s place in the global economy.

Are robots about to take your job—everybody's job? In this talk, Annie Lowrey looks at the impact of technology on growth over the past century, and examines whether, this time, machines really will replace humans, instead of making them smarter, healthier, richer, and more productive. What path will A.I. walk us down? Lowrey discusses how A.I.-driven innovations—driverless cars, robot diagnosticians, and instant transcription-and-translation to name a few—stand to change your industry and the economy. Finally, Lowrey investigates what government policy and private businesses could do to make sure tech benefits the 99 percent, not just the one percent. This is an unbiased, far-reaching talk that considers A.I. from every angle.