We may look on our time as the moment civilization was transformed as it was by fire, agriculture and electricity. In 2023, we learned that a machine taught itself how to speak to humans like a peer. Which is to say, with creativity, truth, error and lies. The technology, known as a chatbot, is only one of the recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence -- machines that can teach themselves superhuman skills. CEO Sundar Pichai told us AI will be as good or as evil as human nature allows. The revolution, he says, is coming faster than you know. Scott Pelley: Do you think society is prepared for what's coming? Sundar Pichai: You know, there are two ways I think about it. On one hand I feel, no, because you know, the pace at which we can think and adapt as societal institutions, compared to the pace at which the technology's evolving, there seems to be a mismatch. On the other hand, compared to any other technology, I've seen more people worried about it earlier in its life cycle. The number of people, you know, who have started worrying about the implications, and hence the conversations are starting in a serious way as well.

Over the last 200 years, technology automation has never caused a net loss of jobs. AI is a type of technology automation. The question for this article is whether AI automation will be the first technology to result in a net loss of jobs that is bigger than the decline in the number of workers. Is AI just another form of automation that will create some jobs and destroy others? Or will AI destroy more jobs than it creates resulting in unemployment that will continually rise, and remain permanently high? Science fiction books, TV, and movies are replete with descriptions of intelligent robots ranging from beneficial robots like C3PO from the Star Wars movie series to killer robots such as the ones depicted in the Terminator movie series.

Stuart Russell, a leading artificial-intelligence (AI) researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the book Human Compatible (Penguin Random House, October 2019), sits down with McKinsey Global Institute chairman James Manyika to discuss our future as AI transforms our world. In this broad conversation, they explore the immense benefits ahead and what our role will be as AI becomes more pervasive. They also delve into potential challenges we may face with our current approach to AI, and how we can redefine AI to ensure it helps humanity achieve its full potential. James Manyika: When you look at the AI field today and you see all these announcements and breakthroughs, what excites you the most? Stuart Russell: With today's technology, delivering high-quality education to everybody on Earth is just the beginning. Even fairly simple AI tutoring tools have been shown to be very effective. So that can only get better if we figure out how to roll it out to the people who really need it.

In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Global Institute partner Michael Chui and MGI chairman and director James Manyika speak with McKinsey Publishing's David Schwartz about the cutting edge of artificial intelligence. Today, we're going to be journeying to the frontiers of artificial intelligence. We'll touch on what AI's impact could be across multiple industries and functions. We'll also explore limitations that, at least for now, stand in the way. I'm joined by two McKinsey leaders who are at the point of the spear, Michael Chui, based in San Francisco and a partner with the McKinsey Global Institute, and James Manyika, the chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in our San Francisco office. Michael Chui: Great to be here. David Schwartz: Michael, where do we see the most potential from AI? Michael Chui: The number-one thing that we know is just the widespread potential applicability. That said, we're quite early in terms of the adoption of these technologies, so there's a lot of runway to go. One of the other things that we've discovered is that one way to think about where the potential for AI is, is just follow the money. If you're a company where marketing and sales is what drives the value, that's actually where AI can create the most value. If you're a company where operational excellence matters the most to you, that's where you can create the most value with AI.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to create trillions of dollars of value across the economy--if business leaders work to understand what AI can and cannot do. In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Global Institute partner Michael Chui and MGI chairman and director James Manyika speak with McKinsey Publishing's David Schwartz about the cutting edge of artificial intelligence. Today, we're going to be journeying to the frontiers of artificial intelligence. We'll touch on what AI's impact could be across multiple industries and functions. We'll also explore limitations that, at least for now, stand in the way. I'm joined by two McKinsey leaders who are at the point of the spear, Michael Chui, based in San Francisco and a partner with the McKinsey Global Institute, and James Manyika, the chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in our San Francisco office. Michael Chui: Great to be here. David Schwartz: Michael, where do we see the most potential from AI? Michael Chui: The number-one thing that we know is just the widespread potential applicability. That said, we're quite early in terms of the adoption of these technologies, so there's a lot of runway to go. One of the other things that we've discovered is that one way to think about where the potential for AI is, is just follow the money. If you're a company where marketing and sales is what drives the value, that's actually where AI can create the most value.

John Donahoe of ServiceNow and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn speak about how businesses can play a role in improving work for people in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. How can CEOs stay ahead of the curve in training and developing their workforces for using automation and artificial intelligence (AI)? Since companies are doing the hiring and creating the jobs, what role do they play in talent and development? How should companies think about hiring as work changes? In this episode of the New World of Work podcast, McKinsey Global Institute director James Manyika speaks with two leaders on the forefront of applying AI techniques, such as automation and machine learning, in the business world. John Donahoe, president and CEO of ServiceNow, and Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, tackle the tough questions facing companies today. James Manyika: When it comes to the issue of the future of work and automation, businesses are at the center for several reasons. For one, they are large employers of people and workers, and they are embracing these technologies that are starting to automate work. They play a central role through the choices that they make in using these technologies. Sometimes, they're also in the business of building products and services that also change and transform how we do work. And then sometimes, you come across rare business leaders who are far-forward-looking, think beyond their own businesses, and think about what these things mean for society. With that note, I'm quite delighted that we have two business leaders who satisfy all three of those criteria. They are employers, they are innovators building products and services, and they're also thinking beyond their own businesses to what this means for society.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to create trillions of dollars of value across the economy--if business leaders work to understand what AI can and cannot do. In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Global Institute partner Michael Chui and MGI chairman and director James Manyika speak with McKinsey Publishing's David Schwartz about the cutting edge of artificial intelligence. Today, we're going to be journeying to the frontiers of artificial intelligence. We'll touch on what AI's impact could be across multiple industries and functions. We'll also explore limitations that, at least for now, stand in the way. I'm joined by two McKinsey leaders who are at the point of the spear, Michael Chui, based in San Francisco and a partner with the McKinsey Global Institute, and James Manyika, the chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in our San Francisco office. Michael Chui: Great to be here. David Schwartz: Michael, where do we see the most potential from AI? Michael Chui: The number-one thing that we know is just the widespread potential applicability. That said, we're quite early in terms of the adoption of these technologies, so there's a lot of runway to go. One of the other things that we've discovered is that one way to think about where the potential for AI is, is just follow the money. If you're a company where marketing and sales is what drives the value, that's actually where AI can create the most value.

Engineering and construction is behind the curve in implementing artificial intelligence solutions. Based on extensive research, we survey applications and algorithms to help bridge the technology gap. The engineering and construction (E&C) sector is worth more than $10 trillion a year. And while its customers are increasingly sophisticated, it remains severely underdigitized. To lay out the landscape of technology, we conducted a comprehensive study of current and potential use cases in every stage of E&C, from design to preconstruction to construction to operations and asset management. Our research revealed a growing focus on technological solutions that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms.

New workplace trends such as automation, AI, and the gig economy are generating a need for policies that create jobs and work that is more fulfilling. This summer, the UK government published a long-awaited independent review of employment practices in the modern economy, led by Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the London-based Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). His review and policy recommendations addressed questions about automation in the workplace, the influence of the so-called gig economy, and the need to create better work. Taylor sat down recently with James Manyika, chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute, whose recent research agenda has tackled many of the same and similar topics (notably the future of work, independent work, automation, and declining productivity). What follows are edited highlights of their conversation. It begins with Taylor outlining the scope of the UK report. Matthew Taylor: We've been exploring three questions. One is who's being exploited, how they're being exploited, and what might we do about it. Second, an understanding of the incentives that are driving changes in the labor market.

A new podcast series from the McKinsey Global Institute explores how technologies like automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence are shaping how we work, where we work, and the skills we need to work. The future of work is one of the hottest topics in 2017, with conflicting information from various experts leaving plenty of room for debate around what impact automation technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will have on jobs, skills, and wages. In the first episode of the New World of Work podcast from the McKinsey Global Institute--which is being featured in the McKinsey Podcast series--MGI chairman and director James Manyika speaks with senior editor Peter Gumbel about what these technologies are, how they will change work, and what new research says we can expect. This is our new series on work, the world of work, and the changing world of work. Today, for our first podcast on this issue, I'm with James Manyika, who is the chairman and director of the McKinsey Global Institute; he's also a senior partner at McKinsey and is based in the San Francisco office. James, this issue of work and the future of work is one that you have been looking at for some time, with work on automation and with the latest report on jobs, Jobs lost, jobs gained. Perhaps, you can start off by telling us about the broader issues, and which ones you're focusing on. James Manyika: Well, I think we're having an interesting time in our history and our economy around the future of work. It comes up in almost every conversation with students, workers, CEOs, and policymakers.