Introduction

In 1900, an estimated 40 per cent of the United States workforce was engaged in agricultural production. Today, because of the impact of automation, less than 2 per cent remain in the sector. In the United Kingdom, where industrialisation began earlier, 10 per cent of the workforce was employed in agriculture; now, it is less than 1 per cent. Job losses in one sector have been absorbed by others. Few would wish us to return to manual farming, with its higher food costs, physical hardship, and diversion of workers from more economically productive activities. We have welcomed automation and the benefits it brings to society. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers similar advantages. The key difference is the compression of time. The automation of agriculture was relatively slow, allowing for steady adaptation. The impact of AI will be far faster, perhaps within five years, bringing enormous benefits but also significant disruption to those displaced.