Week 5 Assignment: AI & Employment Analysis
Week 5 Assignment: AI & Employment Analysis#
Due: End of Week 5 | Format: Research report | Length: 700-900 words
📝 Assignment Overview#
Investigate how AI and automation might impact a specific occupation, industry, or sector you care about. Develop an informed assessment of risks and opportunities, along with policy recommendations.
📋 Instructions#
Choose Your Focus#
Select an occupation or industry you’re interested in:
- Examples: healthcare, education, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, finance, law, transportation, construction, etc.
Research & Analysis (700-900 words)#
1. Current State (100-150 words)
- Describe the occupation/industry
- What are typical tasks and skills?
- How is AI already being used (if at all)?
2. Potential AI Impact (150-200 words)
- What tasks could be automated or significantly changed by AI?
- What’s the timeline: near-term (1-3 years) vs. long-term (5-10 years)?
- How many workers might be affected? In what ways?
- Which workers are most vulnerable?
3. Opportunities & Benefits (100-150 words)
- How could AI improve working conditions?
- What new types of jobs might emerge?
- How could AI augment human workers rather than replace them?
- What workers might benefit most?
4. Challenges & Risks (100-150 words)
- Job displacement and income loss
- Widening inequality if benefits aren’t shared
- Skills gaps and retraining needs
- Psychological and social impacts
5. Policy Recommendations (200-250 words)
- What policies should governments pursue?
- What responsibility do companies have?
- How should workers be supported?
- Options to consider:
- Retraining and education programs
- Wage subsidies or income support
- Regulatory guardrails on AI deployment
- Worker representation in decision-making
- Profit-sharing or taxation approaches
📌 Rubric#
| Criteria | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Research Quality | 25% | Well-sourced, uses current evidence and expert perspectives |
| Analysis | 30% | Thoughtful, balanced assessment of impacts and opportunities |
| Critical Thinking | 25% | Considers multiple perspectives; acknowledges complexity |
| Policy Reasoning | 15% | Realistic recommendations grounded in evidence |
| Writing Quality | 5% | Clear, organized, minimal errors |
💡 Tips for Success#
- Combine research with your own experience or interviews
- Use data when available, but also qualitative insights
- Avoid both tech-utopian and catastrophic predictions
- Ground recommendations in feasible policies
- Cite academic research, policy reports, and news sources
📤 Submission#
Submit a PDF report via D2L by 11:59 PM on [Due Date].
Include a reference list with at least 6-8 sources.
Interested in interviewing someone? Consider talking to someone in your chosen field about their concerns and hopes regarding AI. Include their perspective in your analysis.