The International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) will host a live webinar featuring Ben Armstrong, Executive Director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center and co-leader of the Work of the Future initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
This session will examine what generative AI is actually doing inside organizations—beyond headlines and speculation. Drawing from the work of the MIT Industrial Performance Center Working Group on Generative AI and the Work of the Future, Armstrong will share research-based insights on how tasks are shifting, where productivity gains are measurable, and how employers are redesigning roles in response to AI adoption.
For workforce professionals, the implications are immediate.
AI adoption is influencing training investments, sector strategy, employer engagement, and risk management. Task-level transformation can alter occupations well before those changes appear in traditional labor market indicators. Front-line staff are already seeing this shift. Jobseekers are asking what AI means for their future. Employers are redefining expectations. Routine cognitive tasks are increasingly automated, while demand grows for judgment, oversight, interpretation, and deep domain expertise.
Early findings suggest that generative AI is more likely to reshape tasks within occupations than eliminate entire occupations outright—at least in the near term. However, even task redesign can significantly affect skill requirements, job quality, and advancement pathways.
This webinar will examine:
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Which roles appear most exposed to AI augmentation
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Where productivity claims are supported—and where they may be overstated
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How organizations are approaching job redesign
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What workforce leaders should be monitoring now
If your work involves guiding jobseekers, advising employers, shaping workforce strategy, or allocating training resources, this discussion will provide research-based insight grounded in evidence rather than speculation.
Register Here
Date: March 10, 2026
Time:
11:00 AM Pacific
12:00 PM Mountain
1:00 PM Central
2:00 PM Eastern
Thanks to the Oregon and Washington chapters of IAWP for sponsoring this event.
About Ben Armstrong
Ben Armstrong is Executive Director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center, where he co-leads the Work of the Future initiative. His research focuses on how workers, firms, and regions adapt to technological change—particularly in industries such as manufacturing, mining, and logistics. His work explores how automation can be deployed in ways that improve both productivity and job quality.
He currently leads a working group on generative AI and its impact on work and is writing a book on American manufacturing competitiveness. Armstrong also serves on the executive committee of HAND, an NSF Engineering Research Center focused on dexterous robotics. His work has been published or featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Harvard Business Review. He holds a PhD from MIT and previously worked at Google Inc.