Five MIT faculty members and two additional alumni were recently named to the 2024 cohort of AI2050 Fellows. The honor is announced annually by Schmidt Futures, Eric and Wendy Schmidt's philanthropic initiative that aims to accelerate scientific innovation. Conceived and co-chaired by Eric Schmidt and James Manyika, AI2050 is a philanthropic initiative aimed at helping to solve hard problems in AI. Within their research, each fellow will contend with the central motivating question of AI2050: 'It's 2050. AI has turned out to be hugely beneficial to society. What happened' What are the most important problems we solved and the opportunities and possibilities we realized to ensure this outcome'' David Autor, the Daniel (1972) and Gail Rubinfeld Professor in the MIT Department of Economics, and co-director of the MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative and the National Bureau of Economic Research's Labor Studies Program, has been named a 2024 AI2050 senior fellow. His scholarship explores the labor-market impacts of technological change and globalization on job polarization, skill demands, earnings levels and inequality, and electoral outcomes. Autor's AI2050 project will leverage real-time data on AI adoption to clarify how new tools interact with human capabilities in shaping employment and earnings. The work will provide an accessible framework for entrepreneurs, technologists, and policymakers seeking to understand, tangibly, how AI can complement human expertise. Autor has received numerous awards and honors, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, and the Heinz 25th Special Recognition Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for his work 'transforming our understanding of how globalization and technological change are impacting jobs and earning prospects for American workers.' In 2023, Autor was one of two researchers across all scientific fields selected as a NOMIS Distinguished Scientist....
In a new era of globalization marked by geopolitical rivalries, supply chain vulnerabilities, and nationalist politics, Western companies must rethink their strategies. Answering eight questions will help managers address vulnerabilities and consider how their companies should regionalize production, reduce the scale necessary to achieve efficient production, hone their core differentiation strategies, and more. Despite the challenges, maintaining a presence in China will remain crucial....
The post-COVID-19 era has created lasting fissures in the supply chain. Amid increasing globalization, rising customer expectations, and double-digit shipping growth,1'Air Cargo Market Analysis,' International Air Transport Association, March 2024. supply chain organizations'not just manufacturers and suppliers but also the warehouses and transporters they rely on'are under duress. They grapple with issues related to operational efficiency, demand forecasting, inventory management, and fulfillment. This complexity affects every part of the supply chain in every industry: retail, technology, automotive, industrial, food services, telecommunications, and more. The result is stalled growth and missed revenue opportunities. Several competing forces are exerting pressure on the supply chain: consumer demand for low-priced products delivered via fast-and-free shipping; rising wages for manufacturing, warehouse, and delivery employees; and murky visibility into future macroeconomic disruptions. McKinsey research shows that more than 90 percent of US consumers now expect two- to three-day delivery for purchases and one-third expect same-day delivery.2Retail speaks: Seven imperatives for the industry, McKinsey and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, March 10, 2021. And ever since the pandemic disrupted in-person sales, B2B companies expect their suppliers to offer omnichannel sales via online marketplaces, mobile, videoconferencing, and chat.3'B2B sales: Omnichannel everywhere, every time,' McKinsey, December 15, 2021....
In a new era of globalization marked by geopolitical rivalries, supply chain vulnerabilities, and nationalist politics, Western companies must rethink their strategies. Answering eight questions will help managers address vulnerabilities and consider how their companies should regionalize production, reduce the scale necessary to achieve efficient production, hone their core differentiation strategies, and more. Despite the challenges, maintaining a presence in China will remain crucial....
