For generations, American workers have built the cars, technologies, businesses, and industries that helped make the United States the most dynamic economy in the world.

Now, the nature of that work is changing. Artificial intelligence and advanced technology are transforming the workplace, even as skilled tradespeople, technicians, and manufacturers remain essential to America’s strength and competitiveness.

As Labor Day approaches, Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice sits down with General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra for a timely conversation about American workers, innovation, and what it will take to keep our workforce strong in the decades ahead.

Barra’s story is itself a story of American opportunity. The daughter of a GM die maker, she began at the company as a college co-op student and rose to lead one of America’s most iconic companies.

Together, Rice and Barra discuss the future of American manufacturing, the growing importance of skilled trades, preparing workers for the AI revolution, and why America must retain the ability to build, innovate, and compete.

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