Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For generations, economic mobility followed a familiar script: get a degree, get a job, climb the ladder. AI is rewriting that script. As automation transforms the labor market and traditional pathways to the middle class become less reliable, who gets left behind—and who gets ahead? What does economic mobility look like in an AI-driven economy? And what will it take to ensure that the next wave of innovation creates opportunity for more people, not fewer?
The Aspen Ideas Festival is the Aspen Institute’s signature summer public event. From June 25-July 1, 2026 business and civic leaders, innovators and artists, fellows, scholars, and attendees from around the world gathered in the Rocky Mountains. Engaging discussions unified by the Festival’s theme “Declarations of Independence” explore the issues of today, challenge perceptions of the past, and shape our shared future. #AspenIdeas
For more information about the Aspen Ideas Festival, visit https://www.aspenideas.org.
For generations, economic mobility followed a familiar script: get a degree, get a job, climb the ladder. AI is rewriting that script. As automation transforms the labor market and traditional pathways to the middle class become less reliable, who gets left behind—and who gets ahead? What does economic mobility look like in an AI-driven economy? And what will it take to ensure that the next wave of innovation creates opportunity for more people, not fewer?
The Aspen Ideas Festival is the Aspen Institute’s signature summer public event. From June 25-July 1, 2026 business and civic leaders, innovators and artists, fellows, scholars, and attendees from around the world gathered in the Rocky Mountains. Engaging discussions unified by the Festival’s theme “Declarations of Independence” explore the issues of today, challenge perceptions of the past, and shape our shared future. #AspenIdeas
For more information about the Aspen Ideas Festival, visit https://www.aspenideas.org.
