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The Robot Revolution: Understanding the Social and Economic Impact, John Hudson (2019), Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, 192pp., hardback £63, ISBN: 978 1 78897 447 9
Peter Swann.
Review Essay
The ancient Greeks believed that the swan reserves some of its most beautiful songs for its final days; hence the term ‘swan-song’. The Robot Revolution is John Hudson’s ‘swan-song’ – completed just before he died in July 2018. It is certainly a beautiful work in empirical economics, though there is an element of Greek tragedy in the story. For all the many clever and useful things that robots will be able to do for us, Hudson argues that their introduction will carry considerable risks for our economy and society.
