The pace of artificial intelligence continues inexorably forward. Every day we see continued development of new technologies, new applications, and greater investment in AI, machine learning, and the host of cognitive technologies. While we might be able to easily see how some of these technologies will be implemented in the short term, what does the future hold for widespread adoption of AI? In the 1980s the emergence of portable phones made it pretty obvious that they would allow us to make phone calls wherever we are, but who could have predicted the use of mobile phones as portable computing gadgets with apps, access to worldwide information, cameras, GPS, and the wide range of things we now take for granted as mobile, ubiquitous computing. Likewise, the future world of AI will most likely have much greater impact in a much different way than what we might be assuming today.

Qatar is a small peninsular nation on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar is endowed with abundant hydrocarbon resources and is the world's largest producer of liquified natural gas (LNG), which accounts for over 80% of its export earnings. Like many of its wealthy neighbors, Qatar faces a unique dilemma with the onset of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Despite having one of the world's highest per-capita income and a highly educated local population, the majority of Qataris are under-employed and working in government white collar jobs where they are unable to fully realize the potential of their level of education. These are precisely the occupations that are likely to be made redundant by AI.1 The bulk of the workforce in Qatar consists of expatriates drawn primarily from South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In this editorial, we take a look at a post-pandemic dystopia where AI and robotics engulf the flow of labour, talent and the economy. These are our forecasts of an economy optimised by artificial intelligence and ripened by robotics. Robots' infiltration of the workforce doesn't occur at a steady, gradual pace. Instead, automation happens in bursts, concentrated especially in bad times such as the current Covid 19-induced economic paralysis, when humans become relatively more expensive as firms' revenues rapidly decline. At these moments, employers shed less-skilled workers and replace them with technology and higher-skilled workers, which increases labor productivity as a recession tapers off.

The Australian Government released its artificial intelligence (AI) technology roadmap during Australia's inaugural AI summit Techtonic, held recently in Canberra. As reported, 'Artificial Intelligence: Solving problems, growing the economy and improving our quality of life' was developed by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. The roadmap outlines the importance of action for Australia to capture the benefits of AI, which is estimated to be worth AU$ 22.17 trillion to the global economy by 2030. It was developed for the Australian Government in consultation with industry, government and academia. The roadmap is intended to help guide future investment in AI and machine learning, and accompanies Artificial Intelligence: Australia's Ethics Framework, a discussion paper prepared by CSIRO's Data61 and published by the Australian Government in April 2019.

The pace of artificial intelligence continues inexorably forward. Every day we see continued development of new technologies, new applications, and greater investment in AI, machine learning, and the host of cognitive technologies. While we might be able to easily see how some of these technologies will be implemented in the short term, what does the future hold for widespread adoption of AI? In the 1980s the emergence of portable phones made it pretty obvious that they would allow us to make phone calls wherever we are, but who could have predicted the use of mobile phones as portable computing gadgets with apps, access to worldwide information, cameras, GPS, and the wide range of things we now take for granted as mobile, ubiquitous computing. Likewise, the future world of AI will most likely have much greater impact in a much different way than what we might be assuming today.

What are the key skills supply chain professionals should be developing in an AI-enabled future? "I'm a great believer in great passion," says Ron Castro, Vice President, IBM Supply Chain. And it's just as well given that Ron is responsible for all strategy, execution, and transformation of IBM's US$70Bn global end-to-end supply chain, delivering to clients across more than 170 countries. "Always be as bold and as fast as you can," he says. "I've never looked back in a transformation and thought'Darn it! I wish I had gone slower.' There's always room to be bolder and to go faster."

Although more widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation may initially cause job losses, it likely to create many more jobs than it destroys. Research shows as many as 2.3 million new jobs being created by 2020. And African countries have the potential to reap the benefits if they act fast, says Microsoft Managing Director Zooaib Hoosen. Here, he explores what "skilling-up for an AI-powered world" means for the continent's policy makers and how they need to ensure African people and economies will be part of the technological disruption and not left behind.

Have you ever dreamed of the day where your car could drive for itself freeing you to do other things, such as reading, catching up on emails, watching a movie, or sleeping rather than focus on the road while in the car? Automotive manufacturers and transportation technology vendors are rapidly progressing us to that goal. Indeed, we discuss that "Autonomous Everything" is one of the four key parts of our AI-Enabled Vision of the Future. The power of AI and Machine Learning combined with extremely detailed city and road mapping, lane-keeping, collision avoidance, and self-parking is leading to automobiles and trucks that can take us to our destinations without us having to keep our feet on the pedals or hands on the steering wheel. However, as we have seen recently, a number of incidents and accidents have called into question how ready this technology is for general use.