In the ongoing discussion about how much Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact the future of work, the outlook seems bleak. McKinsey & Company estimates that between 400 million and 800 million individuals could be displaced by automation and need to find new jobs by 2030 around the world. Yes, we're on the cusp of a changing workforce, thanks to a number of technological advancements anchored by AI. But, I believe that the best outcome for marketers will be a business environment that complements human ability with technology, rather than eliminates it. In the future I'm planning for, marketers are thriving because we've made the decision to let machines do what they do best, so marketers can do the same, and truly excel in their roles.

In 2017, artificial intelligence attracted $12 billion of VC investment. We are only beginning to discover the usefulness of AI applications. Amazon recently unveiled a brick-and-mortar grocery store that has successfully supplanted cashiers and checkout lines with computer vision, sensors, and deep learning. Between the investment, the press coverage, and the dramatic innovation, "AI" has become a hot buzzword. But does it even exist yet?

Today, organizations at the vanguard of the AI evolution are as of now moving in the direction of the next stage, augmented intelligence, in which machine learning abilities layered over existing data management frameworks to augment human analytics skills. In the coming years, more organizations will advance toward autonomous intelligence, the third AI usage stage, in which procedures are digitized and robotized to a degree whereby machines, bots, and frameworks can legitimately follow up on knowledge got from them. The quest from the assisted to increased intelligence stages, and after that on to completely autonomous intelligence, is a part of a developing pattern in which organizations change themselves into "AI-fueled organizations." This pattern is likewise about a supported commitment to updating core frameworks, procedures, and business strategies around AI and its potential outcomes. Its ultimate objective: an AI-fueled organization in which people and machines cooperate within designed digital frameworks to harness information driven experiences.

Executives in Davos this year had a lot to discuss, such as the uncertainties surrounding the future of the planet with David Attenborough and the political instability pertaining to Brexit. Second only to the US-China trade deal however, 2019's most discussed topic in Davos was Artificial Intelligence. Two questions in particular seemed to capture the imaginations (and itineraries!) of attendees this year: Whilst the full impact of AI may seem far down the line, how far away exactly are we from a reality where these questions begin to hit home in a tangible way? In the 10th anniversary of the'Deloitte Tech Trends' published this year, one of the key trends titled "AI-fuelled organisations" posits that there are three phases of intelligence across the evolution of AI: Today's organisations primarily find themselves in the first phase and many of them are evolving to the second. "To become a true AI-fuelled organisation, a company may need to fundamentally rethink the way humans and machines interact within working environments. Executives should also consider deploying machine learning and other cognitive tools systematically across every core business process and enterprise operation to support data driven decision-making."

I have written before about the Luddites and how autonomous intelligence might unleash a neo-Luddite movement. It would appear that day may have indeed arrived. There are reports from Arizona that autonomous vehicles are being vandalized. Since 2017, there have been almost two dozen acts of sabotage against driverless vehicles operated by Waymo in the city of Chandler near Phoenix. One unidentified assailant slashed a van's tires, other people have thrown rocks at passing driverless vans.

In 2017, artificial intelligence attracted $12 billion of VC investment. We are only beginning to discover the usefulness of AI applications. Amazon recently unveiled a brick-and-mortar grocery store that has successfully supplanted cashiers and checkout lines with computer vision, sensors, and deep learning. Between the investment, the press coverage, and the dramatic innovation, "AI" has become a hot buzzword. But does it even exist yet?

I was recently honored to be invited as a speaker at LSE to address one of the most pertinent as well as the most challenging topic in today's business world: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact to the workforce. The robots might not know it yet, but their impact on the human workforce is increasingly dominating the headlines. AI is one of those topics that has had the "Marmite effect". For every Elon Musk who believes that "AI could destroy the world", and for every Jack Ma who says that "AI and big data are a threat to human being", there is a Sundar Pinchai who says, "AI can help us in everything - challenges like climate change and cancer diagnosis" or Mark Zuckerberg who believes "there's nothing to fear from A.I…Instead, we should hope for the amazing amount of good it will do in the world". Clearly, leaders have split opinion and outlook on the future of AI: while some see benevolent Wall-E, others see the threatening Terminator.

Most small businesses are focused on the nuts and bolts of the IT needed to run their companies, including networks, cloud services and PCs. However, there are many emerging technologies that will likely have large impacts on how businesses are run in the years ahead. The consultancy PwC recently released a report highlighting what it calls eight tech "megatrends" that it thinks will have a large impact on businesses in the next three to seven years. The trends include artificial intelligence, augmented reality, blockchain technology, drones, Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality and 3D printing. Some of them, like IoT, have been around for years and are already widely used, while others, like virtual reality or the use of blockchain for ledgers and transactions, are rapidly maturing.

Most small businesses are focused on the nuts and bolts of the IT needed to run their companies, including networks, cloud services and PCs. However, there are many emerging technologies that will likely have large impacts on how businesses are run in the years ahead. The consultancy PwC recently released a report highlighting what it calls eight tech "megatrends" that it thinks will have a large impact on businesses in the next three to seven years. The trends include artificial intelligence, augmented reality, blockchain technology, drones, Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality and 3D printing. Some of them, like IoT, have been around for years and are already widely used, while others, like virtual reality or the use of blockchain for ledgers and transactions, are rapidly maturing.

This feature was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Recode editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of this content. At a recent conference on artificial intelligence (AI) where I spoke, there was a lot of talk about the significance of AlphaGo. In the popular press, the historic March matches between Korean champion Lee Sedol and Google's AlphaGo AI program were characterized as man vs. machine. The world was captivated as the AI beat the Go world champion 4-1, with Sedel winning just one match.