Ben Armstrong

Ben Armstrong leads INM’s research program on new manufacturing. He is also executive director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center, where he co-leads the Work of the Future initiative. His research examines how workers, firms, and regions adapt to technological change: in physical industries like manufacturing, mining, and logistics, how can automation be deployed in ways that make workers better at their jobs – and make workers’ jobs better?

His current projects include a working group on generative AI and its impact on work, as well as a book on American manufacturing competitiveness. He serves on the executive committee of HAND, an NSF Engineering Research Center on dexterous robotics. Ben’s work has been published or featured in academic and popular outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Harvard Business Review. He received his PhD from MIT and formerly worked at Google Inc.