Welcome to the New Automation Age

The rise of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning have put us on the brink of a new automation age, projected to last from 2015 to 2085, according to McKinsey. Unlike the type of automation we witnessed during the Industrial Revolution, during which the steam engine replaced routine physical work activities, the changes we can expect from this new transformative period will center around cognitive capabilities, like consequential decision-making, tacit judgments, and sensing emotion. These activities have traditionally required a college degree, which is why the world is now alarmed at the broad swaths of the job market at risk of becoming obsolete. Clearly, there are unparalleled productivity gains from this new type of "intelligent automation". But what are the implications for customer-facing functions like customer care and support?