Houses hide behind patches of subtropical rainforest in Brisbane's western outskirts; horses graze paddocks and road signs warn of deer and kangaroos. Nestled between a bend in the river and the foothills of the D'Aguilar Range, the suburb of Anstead may appear unsuitable habitat for a Polish-born business professor who believes that we must embrace the age of artificial intelligence. Yet not all is as it seems in Marek Kowalkiewicz's home among the gum trees. "When I moved here from Silicon Valley my kids were about five years old and had no idea what an iPad was," he says from the veranda overlooking his acreage. "There's the technology-infused world I'm in 9pm to 5pm and then there is this slightly – on the surface – less technology-infused world." It is the first Monday of March and Kowalkiewicz is hours from launching The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions.

What is meant by AI? What is the nature of intelligence? What is transhumanism and common sense reasoning? These are some of the questions which the book covers. The relationship between man and machine has fascinated people eversince the writing of Frankenstein, where we are warned about the unintended consequences of the use and development of technology. While scrutinizing AI, one profound question emerges as a natural result: what makes us truly human?

As industries journey towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where people and robots will work together seamlessly, it's becoming more important than ever for organisations to integrate artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the internet of things (IoT) into their digital game plan. However, much like policy makers, business leaders are struggling to keep up with these advancements. They're failing to leverage technology in areas such as human resources, payroll and workforce management. According to Deloitte's Human Capital Trends Report 2018, almost 95% of organisations worldwide don't know how to manage their workforce effectively. It's a confronting statistic and it's one Jarrod McGrath, founder and CEO of strategic workforce management consultancy Smart WFM, has set out to change. "I couldn't believe how high this figure was," says Jarrod.