It's a modern age conundrum: for years, customers have engaged with ChatBots to resolve a whole range of queries, only to be left frustrated and dissatisfied by the experience While these solutions are adept at automating the customer service process and cutting costs, their limited functionality means they have generated little value wider business context – until now. A new generation of technologies has been developed to not only service customers more effectively, but also to optimize human resource management and employee enablement. Even now that Conversational AI (CAI) technologies have arrived on the scene to take user experience (UX) to the next level, the truth is, that many individuals will still mistake them for run-of-the-mill Bots. The result of this is that some organizations might invest in the wrong technologies, or else dismiss next-gen solutions that could boost their efficiency. Beyond just offering first-line support to customers and colleagues, or the conversational acumen of home assistants like Alexa or Siri, newer CAI technologies are capable of fielding a much more complex range of queries, which will no doubt be a great service to organizations in the remote climate.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses of all shapes and sizes have had to quickly adapt to remote work. Many experts predict that this year's rapid transition to remote work constitutes a point of no return. In many ways, the growth of remote work parallels the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). It wasn't so long ago that AI was confined to the realm of science fiction. Now, like remote work, AI promises to transform nearly every industry and every company.

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC), a leading digital global customer experience (CX) technology and services company focused on the design, implementation and delivery of transformative customer experience, engagement and growth solutions, has recently been recognized by Chief Learning Officer magazine as a 2019 LearningElite Silver Award winner. This robust, peer-reviewed ranking and benchmarking program recognizes those organizations that employ exemplary workforce development strategies that deliver significant business results. Special emphasis was placed this year on how these learning teams are helping their organizations adapt to and prepare for change. Winners were recently announced during the ninth annual LearningElite Awards program at the CLO Symposium conference. "TTEC is honored to be recognized as an elite learning organization and appreciates this award from Chief Learning Officer," said Steve Pollema, Executive Vice President, TTEC Digital.

The future of work signifies the opportunity to evolve our workforces and workplaces. This evolution is being shaped by two powerful forces: the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace and the expansion of the workforce to include both on- and off-balance-sheet talent, often referred to as the open talent continuum. These shifts could lead us to reconsider the roles of individuals, organizations, and societies at work. From the individual nine-to-five workday to how entire industries function, work seems to be changing faster than ever. Big shifts threaten to create massive societal and economic disruption unless we look seriously at making the future of work productive and rewarding for everyone.

The future of work signifies the opportunity to evolve our workforces and workplaces. This evolution is being shaped by two powerful forces: the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace and the expansion of the workforce to include both on- and off-balance-sheet talent, often referred to as the open talent continuum. These shifts could lead us to reconsider the roles of individuals, organizations, and societies at work. From the individual nine-to-five workday to how entire industries function, work seems to be changing faster than ever. Big shifts threaten to create massive societal and economic disruption unless we look seriously at making the future of work productive and rewarding for everyone.

We have entered the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). And, while many of us have heard how AI will impact market segments like manufacturing or R&D, I find myself wondering: What about other areas of business--like L&D? How will AI affect learning and development? As James Paine points out, "It wasn't so long ago that artificial intelligence was reserved to the realm of science fiction according to the public." AI grew exponentially in 2017 and is projected to be even bigger in 2018.

Bradbury taps into a human concern that surrounds the idea of Artificial Intelligence – if technology continues to develop at such a rate, humans will begin to become obsolete in our own homes and workplaces. Every week there's a new article telling us that robots can do our jobs better than we can, after all. But step back from the hysteria--the robots are not really coming to get us--and AI is already very much a part of our lives. Computers have been mimicking cognitive functions for many years: Deep Blue beat Kasparov in a chess match in 1996. We've all been helped (or hindered) by a chatbot online.

The Automation era which has been called the'fourth industrial revolution' – is driving new ways of doing business often at the cost of traditional businesses. When it comes to emerging technologies, numerous companies including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and many more are investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it is said to be the future. With an increasing speculation of mass disruption of job roles, in the next 10 – 20 years, will there be anyone left for Learning and Development to train and develop? What does the future hold for HR/L&D professionals and how can we best adapt to the coming changes? At LearningCafe and CapabilityCafe, we believe that the application of AI/ML will reshape the job market and will eventually create smarter jobs and roles that we can't even imagine today.