Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
00:00 // Introduction: What This Talk Covers
01:44 // The Remarkable Rise of Generative AI
03:18 // Why "More Education" Has Always Been the Answer
05:57 // Structural vs Frictional Technological Unemployment
07:18 // The Illusion of "Future-Proofing"
08:19 // Case Study: The UK's Mandatory Coding Curriculum
14:07 // Why Future Skills Are Impossible to Predict
16:59 // Preparing for Uncertainty, Not Resolving It
22:22 // Back to Basics and Critical Use of AI
32:49 // Rethinking How and When We Educate
43:19 // The Real Limits of Education
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/aJHAgt1iqVk
The most popular response to the challenge of automation is ‘more education’. This lecture argues that, for now, that is our best response. But ‘more education’ must go beyond simply rethinking what skills will be valuable in the future. We must also rethink how we educate – the way we teach has not really changed for centuries. And we must also rethink when we educate – providing people with a fixed set of skills at the start of their lives is no longer enough. However, there are serious limits to education – it is not the panacea that many imagine.
This lecture was recorded by Professor Daniel Susskind on the 26th of May 2026
Dr Daniel Susskind is a writer and economist. He explores the impact of technology, and particularly AI, on work and society. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is also a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, an Associate Member of the Economics Department at Oxford University, and a Research Professor at King’s College London. He is a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work.
His new book, Growth: A Reckoning (2024), was chosen by President Obama as one of his ‘Favourite Books of 2024’ and was a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2024. He is also the author of A World Without Work (2020), described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future” and a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2020, and co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions (2015). His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.7 million times.
His next book, What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, will be published in 2026. And his first novel, The Basilisk Stare, will be published in 2027.
Previously he worked in various roles in the British Government – in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and in the Cabinet Office. He was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University.
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/education-limits
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
Website: gresham.ac.uk
X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social
TikTok: tiktok.com/@greshamcollege
Support Us: gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
00:00 // Introduction: What This Talk Covers
01:44 // The Remarkable Rise of Generative AI
03:18 // Why "More Education" Has Always Been the Answer
05:57 // Structural vs Frictional Technological Unemployment
07:18 // The Illusion of "Future-Proofing"
08:19 // Case Study: The UK's Mandatory Coding Curriculum
14:07 // Why Future Skills Are Impossible to Predict
16:59 // Preparing for Uncertainty, Not Resolving It
22:22 // Back to Basics and Critical Use of AI
32:49 // Rethinking How and When We Educate
43:19 // The Real Limits of Education
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/aJHAgt1iqVk
The most popular response to the challenge of automation is ‘more education’. This lecture argues that, for now, that is our best response. But ‘more education’ must go beyond simply rethinking what skills will be valuable in the future. We must also rethink how we educate – the way we teach has not really changed for centuries. And we must also rethink when we educate – providing people with a fixed set of skills at the start of their lives is no longer enough. However, there are serious limits to education – it is not the panacea that many imagine.
This lecture was recorded by Professor Daniel Susskind on the 26th of May 2026
Dr Daniel Susskind is a writer and economist. He explores the impact of technology, and particularly AI, on work and society. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is also a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, an Associate Member of the Economics Department at Oxford University, and a Research Professor at King’s College London. He is a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work.
His new book, Growth: A Reckoning (2024), was chosen by President Obama as one of his ‘Favourite Books of 2024’ and was a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2024. He is also the author of A World Without Work (2020), described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future” and a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2020, and co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions (2015). His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.7 million times.
His next book, What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, will be published in 2026. And his first novel, The Basilisk Stare, will be published in 2027.
Previously he worked in various roles in the British Government – in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and in the Cabinet Office. He was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University.
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/education-limits
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
Website: gresham.ac.uk
X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social
TikTok: tiktok.com/@greshamcollege
Support Us: gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
