Fulfilling the Promise of AI Requires Rethinking the Nature of Work Itself

Everywhere today the news confronts us with deeply held fears of AI and automation. Coverage often focuses on the job loss and social unrest that are viewed as likely to follow. These fears aren't unfounded: managers across industries have cost targets and technology enables lower-value tasks to move from people to machines. Last year's movie Hidden Figures vividly illustrates the shift from another era, as NASA's human computers faced displacement. But we believe an obsession mainly on technology's potential for cost-cutting is misguided.