Artificial Intelligence is more likely to augment jobs than to destroy them, a U.N. study indicated on Monday, at a time of growing anxiety over the potential impact of the technology. The launch in November of the generative AI platform ChatGPT, which is capable of handling complex tasks on command, was seen as a technology landmark foreshadowing a potentially dramatic transformation of the workplace. But a fresh study from the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) examining the potential effect of that and other platforms on job quantity and quality suggests that most jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation.

In 1965, the political scientist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon declared: "Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do." Today, in what is increasingly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is igniting similar concerns. The European parliament's forthcoming Artificial Intelligence Act is likely to deem the use of AI across education, law enforcement and worker management to be "high risk". Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI", recently resigned from his position at Google, citing concerns about the technology's impact on the job market. And, in early May, striking members of the Writers Guild of America promised executives: "AI will replace you before it replaces us."

Imagine a world where you could have a beachside conversation with your colleagues, take meeting notes while floating around a space station, or teleport from your office in London to New York, all without taking a step outside your front door. Feeling under pressure with too many meetings scheduled today? Then why not send your AI-enabled digital twin instead to take the load off your shoulders? These examples offer but a glimpse into the future vision of work promised by "the metaverse," a term originally coined by author Neal Stephenson in 1992 to describe a future world of virtual reality. While defying precise definition, the metaverse is generally regarded as a network of 3-D virtual worlds where people can interact, do business, and forge social connections through their virtual "avatars."

Not that long ago, the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) would be generally available -- never mind a vital and daily part of all of our lives -- would have seemed impossible. But here we are, with powerful and useful AI in our homes, cars, pockets and even in our workplace. And interestingly, most of the movie- and science fiction- driven fears of AI (you know, 2001's HAL and the Terminator's Skynet) have faded away, with most of us seeing AI as an extremely useful buddy who helps us get things done, entertain ourselves and answer vital trivia questions. However, there are still some areas where people fear AI. One of the biggest areas of concern with AI is in the workplace.

Some 69% of senior business executives say they think the term "workforce" will eventually encapsulate both human employees and intelligent machines/platforms, according to recent research from Marketforce and Pegasystems. The report was based on data from a survey conducted in 2017 among 845 senior executives who work for firms in the financial services, insurance, manufacturing, telecoms/media, public, healthcare/life sciences, energy/utilities, travel, transport/logistics, and retail sectors. Some 64% of executives say artificial intelligence (AI) will eventually allow staff to perform more varied roles by enabling employees to find solutions to problems that would previously have been referred up the chain of command. Fully 76% say support from AI will allow workers to make informed decisions at a more junior level, leading to a flattening of traditional hierarchies. Some 79% of executives say it will be standard practice to use AI to schedule/coordinate work within five years, and 76% say AI will be used as part of quality control within the next five years.

The future of the workforce is one of the biggest issues facing CEOs today. It's abundantly clear to all that artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and advanced robotics make it possible for machines to take on tasks that once required a person to do them. How should companies prepare, strategically, to thrive in this world? Views on what to expect vary dramatically. By some accounts, almost half of all jobs in the U.S. economy could be made obsolete.

The future of the workforce is one of the biggest issues facing CEOs today. It's abundantly clear to all that artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and advanced robotics make it possible for machines to take on tasks that once required a person to do them. How should companies prepare, strategically, to thrive in this world? Views on what to expect vary dramatically. By some accounts, almost half of all jobs in the U.S. economy could be made obsolete.

"Reality is wrong, Dreams are for real". And it also reflects the spirit of Dreamforce 2018, where I had the opportunity to exchange trailblazing ideas alongside some very impressive thinkers in business and technology. I spent a good deal of time on Artificial Intelligence in particular - where I do find that some of today's conventional wisdom on AI overlooks the huge potential of AI to reshape our work and our world in profound ways. I presented a DreamTalk on AI: The Missing Middle and the Future of Work. Take a look if you're interested in how we need reshape work in the human machine age that we are just beginning to enter.

Robots are expected to put many people out of work in the coming years. But before manufacturing and service jobs become totally automated, robots need to win our hearts and minds. According to the most recent edition of From Internet to Robotics, a comprehensive report on the rise of automatons from researchers at Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and other schools studying the robotic shift, robots need to clear several technological and psychological hurdles before they're really accepted in the workplace. To start, robotic hands need to be more dexterous, and controlling them needs to get much easier; but above all, human workers will need to feel like the robots are their friends. The easiest way to do that is through consumerization, or developing automatons for the masses, and using that process to raise more awareness of the benefits robots can offer.