Digital Fabrication and the Future of Work

Abstract

When exploring the future of work, most people focus on the jobs that will be replaced by technology, the new jobs created by transformational technologies, the jobs that will be upgraded or downgraded by technology, and key trends, such as the growth of “gig” jobs. Understanding this entire blend is important but incomplete. The discussions are missing a category of work that is at once ancient and new—which we term “self-sufficient production”—making what one consumes at a personal, family, or local level. Today, this category is expanding through the accelerating advances in digital fabrication, and it is notable because although it does not involve traditional employment, it shares many of the attributes of “work.”