Matt Beane

Matt Beane, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Technology Management program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a field researcher who studies how workers adapt to intelligent technologies, such as robotics and AI. Beane immerses himself in workplaces—from robotic surgery suites to warehouses—to observe the real-world interaction between humans and machines.\n\nHe is the author of The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines. Beane identifies a critical problem: as machines get smarter, junior employees are losing the opportunity to learn by doing. He warns of a "skill crisis" where we fail to train the next generation of experts. His work offers solutions for how mentorship and training must evolve to keep humans competent in an automated world.