Buffett First Friday Lunch: AI and the Global Future of Work

AI and the Global Future of Work: Power, Resistance, and Adaptation

Join the Roberta Buffett Institute for a faculty research lunchtime talk series on the first Friday of every month. Faculty members give a half-hour talk intended for a broad, multidisciplinary audience of Northwestern students, faculty, and staff, followed by a conversational Q&A. Lunch is provided beginning at 12:15 p.m.

December's Buffett First Friday Lunch will feature Hatim Rahman, PepsiCo Chair in International Management and Associate Professor of Management & Organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Predictions about AI and jobs often assume that technology will determine the future of work. But occupations across countries do not just passively absorb new tools—they actively negotiate, adapt, and sometimes resist. Professor Rahman will introduce an occupational framework that explains how differences in workplace autonomy and political influence shape AI’s impact on employment. His research highlights surprising outcomes: why some seemingly “automatable” jobs are likely to endure, while others transform in unexpected ways. Professor Rahman's framework offers a more nuanced, global understanding of how technology and employment coevolve. Join us for a conversation that reframes the global future of work in the age of AI.

Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.