The elimination of millions of jobs by battalions of artificial intelligence-powered robots makes for sensational headlines. But like many stories regarding both the threat and opportunity from technological change, the real story is both more nuanced and more interesting. A recent report from the World Economic Forum predicted that intelligent automation could eliminate five million jobs in developed countries by 2020. So, you would think a recent spate of announced job reductions in Japanese banking over the next decade – over 30,000 in total at the three major banking groups - would be a cause for concern. Instead, on a recent trip to Tokyo, I heard from a senior executive at one of those banks that automation is vital to deal with a shrinking labor force as the country ages, and that busy robots are a better alternative for the country than unfilled job vacancies.