The Future of Work

Keynote Speaker: David H. Autor, Ph.D. 

Location: Romita Auditorium, Ryan Library 

Will recent advances in AI complement human expertise, thereby increasing its value, or render it increasingly unnecessary, thus reducing experts’ earnings potential (even if jobs are not in net eliminated)? Autor will frame this question through the lens of three technological revolutions of the last two centuries: the Industrial Revolution, the Computer Revolution, and the AI Revolution. In each, the types of expertise rewarded changed substantially, with vastly uneven consequences for workers in different occupations and possessing different education levels. These forces will play out differently in the AI era than in preceding decades. While the future is not a forecasting exercise—it is a collective creation, not a preordained fate—Autor will lay out the opportunities that AI opens for the labor market, as well as some of the risks it poses.

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This is the culminating Driscoll Lecture of the 2025-2026 Presidential Speaker Series.

Check in, meet fellow attendees and enjoy a continental breakfast before the day begins.

Tricia Mulligan, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Iona University, will welcome attendees and presenters to what will be an engaging day of learning and exploration.

In this talk, Iona President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., will share the thinking behind Iona’s vision of education in the AI age, discussing how institutional innovation can empower teaching, learning and the lifetimes they inform.

As AI transforms every corner of the workplace, the people who thrive won’t just be the ones using the tools, they'll be the ones who can solve problems, understand people, and think creatively. This workshop, presented by Gabelli Center Presidential Fellows and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation faculty members Rob Kissner '24MBA and Aakash Sapru, Ph.D., explores the current research on AI’s impact in the professional world and provides a practical look at effective AI use alongside the entrepreneurial thinking, human insight, and lifelong learning habits that will separate good professionals from great ones.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) prepares students to succeed in their selected profession by working across disciplines as part of a collaborative team. Gabelli Provost Fellows on Iona’s faculty will discuss their project exploring AI in IPE settings, then be joined by representatives from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to expand the conversation.

What can we predict about the future of work in the AI age? Adam Hanft brings a unique perspective to this question through his practice as a futurist and his multiple roles as an investor in technology as well as his service on the boards of Scotts Miracle-Gro and 1-800-Flowers. A columnist for INC. Magazine, he is co-author of Dictionary of the Future, which foresaw, two decades in advance, many of the trends and developments shaping today’s world.

Education in Real Life, one of Iona’s newest initiatives, seeks to bridge the gap between the world of study and the world of work—and between artificial intelligence and real learning—through an innovative collaboration with leading companies in three industries: energy, construction, and hospitality. Our closing panel will explore the objectives of this program, and the evolving nature of career journeys in workplaces being transformed by AI, in conversation with industry representatives, business leaders, and Iona students.