Today, companies compete for analysts, engineers and data scientists who have hard technical skills and knowledge of distributed computing systems and analytical tools.3 But in the world of machine-reengineering, workers will also need other skills that could be as unconventional as the processes they support.4 These include the ability to program "belief spaces"--advanced probabilistic models that help robots deal with uncertainty--and to work well with intelligent machines.5 Mercedes-Benz, for example, has replaced large, inflexible factory robots with people and smaller, more flexible robots. Now Mercedes-Benz needs a workforce that can teach robots how to collaborate closely with employees on the factory floor.

Despite the promise of artificial intelligence, Europe's managers aren't yet ready to embrace it.