The Economist hosts provocative debate for students on the future of work in London

The upcoming event, hosted at University College London, will stimulate discussion around the jobs and skills of tomorrow and connect The Economist with a new generation of readers

Will robots substitute people in the future? Is AI a threat or an opportunity? What will the global workforce look like in 2050? The Economist, together with real world marketing agency Sense, is hosting Trending Topics: The Future of Work, a series of student-focused interactive debates, which aim to answer these questions. The first London-based event, which targets 18 to 35-year-olds, will take place on 2 November 2016 at University College London.

As a smart guide to the forces that shape our future, The Economist is uniquely positioned to facilitate debate on future jobs and whether the education that students are receiving today will future-proof them for a successful career.

SVP of circulation and retail marketing for The Economist, Marina Haydn, said, “Thanks to rapid technological change and a more globalised world, we’ll be seeing many jobs 10 years from now that don’t even exist today. There will be a new collaboration between artificial intelligence and people that will be more thoroughly defined in the years to come. The Economist’s journalists regularly write about and analyse this fascinating transformation that is not without challenges.”

Haydn continued: “We are excited to bring the topic of ‘The future of work’ to life in London through a lively discussion among an esteemed panel in front of students, the workers of tomorrow.  We hope the event will help inform their decisions as they embark on their career journeys.”