There's widespread consensus that we're in the throes of the fourth industrial revolution Artificial intelligence and its sister technologies is transforming virtually every business. Yet with AI's enormous potential comes great responsibility. The majority (77%) of CEOs say that AI threatens to increase vulnerability and disruption to the ways they do business. Unfortunately, the call for responsible AI has taken a backseat for many companies. Only 25% of companies say that they definitely prioritize considering the ethical implications of an AI solution before investing in it, according to research by PwC.

It is difficult to open an insurance industry newsletter these days without seeing some reference to machine learning or its cousin artificial intelligence and how they will revolutionize the industry. Yet according to Willis Towers Watson's recently released 2019/2020 P&C Insurance Advanced Analytics Survey results, fewer companies have adopted machine learning and artificial intelligence than had planned to do so just two years ago (see the graphic below). In the context of insurance, we're not talking about self-driving cars (though these may have important implications for insurance) or chess-playing computers. We're talking about predicting the outcome of comparatively simple future events: Who will buy what product, which clients are more likely to have what kind of claim, which claim will become complex according to some definition. Analytics have applications across the insurance value chain, from marketing, client acquisition and retention to underwriting, pricing and claims management, as insurers look to squeeze more signal out of their data.

The future of work: What does this term really mean? Much discussion has focused on artificial intelligence and whether or not robots will take our jobs, but cognitive technologies are only one aspect of the massive shift that is under way. To understand what's going on and, more importantly, what we can do about it, it's important to consider multiple converging trends and how they are already fundamentally changing all aspects of work--with implications for individuals, businesses, and society. We define the future of work as a result of many forces of change affecting three deeply connected dimensions of an organization: work (the what), the workforce (the who), and the workplace (the where) (figure 1). The new realities created by these forces of change present us with complex questions to consider--including ethics around human-machine collaboration, how we plan for 50–60-year careers,1 and how we unleash organizations through a continuum of talent sources.

Artificial intelligence AI takes the lead over intelligent automation IA. Intelligent automation is the combination of "'robotic process automation and artificial intelligence to automate processes,'" according to a recent article on the topic in HR Dive, a publication for human resources professionals. Organizations that embrace intelligent automation may experience a return on investment of 200% or more, according to an Everest Group report cited by HR Dive. However, that doesn't mean organizations can expect a reduction in headcount, according to the report. In fact, projections of a reduction in workforce thanks to intelligent automation may be "highly exaggerated," the Everest Group noted.

These leaders are using AI to automate processes too complex for older technologies; to identify trends in historical data; and to provide forward-looking intelligence to strengthen human decisions. AI is making back office functions, such as tax and finance, do more with less and see into the future. Other AI use cases (PwC has hundreds, in every sector of the economy) include financial planning, medical diagnosis, customised retail offerings, and models of individual customer behaviour. Soon AI will transform transportation, manufacturing, media, and more. The place to start is with a business problem.

What do we mean by'Boring AI' and how can your business benefit from it? AI can solve a number of problems but the biggest area keeping the C-Suite awake is how to use automation and AI to generate business value, or new sources of revenue. Our report discusses how'boring' business as usual applications of AI can add more value than deeply technical solutions.

Only 38% of workers are confident in their skill sets in the face of digital transformation and newly emerging technologies, according to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers by Computer Generated Solutions (CGS), an applications, enterprise learning and business process outsourcing company. The survey, which focused on emerging workplace trends in the AI era, found that 24% of workers feel vulnerable but are waiting for their company to provide upskilling, while 22% feel somewhere in the middle and are attempting to keep their skills up to date through a mix of activities. The numbers also vary across professions -- 48% of professionals seek training on their own versus 46% of people in medical roles and 21% of people in retail roles. Training includes online self-taught courses, outside courses and YouTube videos, said John Samuel, executive vice president at CGS. Ideally, enterprises should aim at "providing not only self-learning tools, but also pointing employees to these places that are more available and are largely no cost," he said. Meanwhile, another AI report, by KPMG, on the achievements and challenges of AI across different industries, surveyed 751 U.S. business decision-makers.

We see the growth of people analytics at first-hand at Insight222, where we are now working with over 60 global organisations to help them put people analytics at the centre of business. In tandem we have also created a digital learning academy with myHRfuture to upskill HR in digital and analytics. For the last six years I have collated and published a collection of the'best' articles of the preceding 12 months – see 2014, 2015, 2016 2017 and 2018, and following are my choices for the 50 best articles of 2019. Those who have read the previous annual collections may note that the number of articles that make the cut has steadily risen. This is partly down to my inability to prune down to 30 or 20 - although it was hard enough to get it down to 50! Mainly though this recognises the increased number, variety and quality of people analytics and data-driven HR material now being published, which is another indicator of progress in the field. I hope that the articles selected will act as a venerable resource library for those working, researching or interested in the people analytics space. That is certainly the intention. I have arranged the 50 articles into twelve topics: i) Driving business value, ii) the future of work, iii) the future of the HR function, iv) ethics and trust, v) employee experience, vi) strategic workforce planning, vii) ONA, viii) diversity and inclusion, ix) organisational culture, perspectives and case studies from people analytics leaders, x) retention, xi) assessment and xii) getting started, as well as highlighting a few of my own articles from 2019 at the end. I hope you enjoy the articles selected, and if you do, please subscribe to my weekly Digital HR Leaders newsletter. Ultimately, people analytics should be about creating value – for leaders, for managers and for the workforce. So, where better to start than with seven articles that collectively provide insights on how to create value and/or give examples of where organisations have created value from people analytics.

RT @MaxDigitalSight: Consulting firm @Accenture reports that AI could double annual economic growth rates by 2035 by "changing the nature of work and spawning a new relationship between man and machine."

Deloitte today launched its Middle East inaugural Experience Analytics event in Dubai at Dubai Studio City. Experience Analytics is a globally recognised Deloitte event and has previously taken place in London, Amsterdam and Berlin. The theme is'Me, Myself, and AI' and brings together a combination of technology showcases and practical sessions that explore a number of topics across Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. It is not about people vs. machines but about how human collaboration and decision-making can be enhanced through the use of machines – this has been coined by Deloitte as the "Age of With". "We believe that we are entering an important phase for society in the Age of With, and in order to make a true impact that matters, we understand how important it is to collaborate and leverage our relationships with our alliances and eco-system partners to build the best solutions for our clients. Some of our global alliance partners for the event are Google, SAP, Informatica and Cloudera," said Rajeev Lalwani, Deloitte's Leader for Strategy, Analytics and M&A in the Middle East.