The Scarce Good of Labour: Automation, Labour Shortages and Social Conflict

In the face of artificial intelligence, there are, once again, widespread warnings about massive job losses. At the same time, labor shortages are widespread. Florian Butollo gets to the bottom of this paradox and analyzes why there is an increase in the volume of work despite automation. As the demand for and supply of labor diverge, new forms of social conflict emerge, which will increasingly be marked by the strain of overload and the struggles against it. In the face of social and ecological crises, questions about the purpose of work need to be asked, as well: what kind of work do we need—and which activities could as well disappear?