Automation (substituting human labor with machines) is a long-term trend expected to primarily impact lower-paid, semi-skilled occupations like office administration, production, transportation, and food preparation (Muro et al., 2019). Powered by large language models such as ChatGPT, recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) have greatly expanded the range of tasks that can be automated. Potentially vulnerable occupations include language and literature teachers, writers, legal services, finance, insurance, and accounting (Felten et al., 2023).

The predominant trend in the U.S. economy since the 1950s has been restructuring from a manufacturing to a service-sector base. Impacts include declining traditional blue-collar employment and increasing inequality between higher-paying jobs in the professional and technical sectors and low-wage, low-skilled jobs in the service sector. More recently, the rapid spread of digital technology and the Internet is spurring a new wave of economic restructuring. Key interconnected trends include e-commerce, the gig economy, and the subscription economy.

Increasingly, once is not enough. The goal of a circular economy is to move from linear flows to circular flows of raw materials and finished products, extending the productive life of finished goods, reusing and recycling their components, and reducing or eliminating waste. Examples of this concept, like curbside recycling, are already part of daily life for many North Carolinians.[1] But opportunities abound for improving these systems, since only about a third of recyclable materials are currently being recovered from municipal solid waste in the state, and less than 20% of construction and demolition debris is currently being recycled.[2] Entrepreneurs in the state are also developing new ways to save resources and money by implementing zero-waste solutions.

A blockchain is a digital, internet-based ledger for recording transactions. Each record or “block” adds to the cumulative list of transactions or “chain.” Because it is shared, decentralized, and cryptographically protected, a blockchain is broadly accessible, independently verifiable, and resistant to tampering. These features have enabled it to support digital cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether that don’t require centralized intermediaries like banks. Some cryptocurrencies require complex verification, and individuals or firms compete to provide this service using computers in return for digital coins (cryptocurrency “mining”).

Smart community technologies can help local governments and communities in North Carolina do more with less, broaden community engagement, and improve service delivery.

Led by NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division, North Carolina is promoting the use of new transportation technology to achieve three goals: increase access, enhance quality of life, and ensure safety. The overall vision is for North Carolinians to have equal opportunity to get anywhere in the state, with or without a car.

The Internet can connect us to the world from the comfort of our homes, but only if we have digital access. This requires not only a connection to broadband, but also an affordable internet subscription, a suitable device, and the skills to use it. Supporting this system is a digital infrastructure of sensors, hardware, and software called information and communication technologies (ICT) to collect, process, analyze, and store data, and route it among users. Together, digital technologies can help us expand our knowledge, improve service delivery, and facilitate new capabilities like e-commerce, remote work, computer visualization, and artificial intelligence. As a result, a growing number of communities are drafting digital equity and inclusion plans and working with internet service providers (ISPs) and the state and federal government to help make sure everyone has affordable access to broadband.

AI has the potential to help communities large and small across North Carolina. Communities have the chance to pilot and use AI technologies to increase productivity and save money. Examples include traffic signal management, property appraisal, and gunshot detection.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released data and analysis of the economic impact of the US arts and cultural sectors for the year 2021 on the country’s overall gross domestic product (GDP). The report notes that these sectors comprised 4.4% of the nation’s GDP with just over $1 trillion, and art industries employed nearly 4.9 million workers in 2021.

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