Consider a home health aide, whose responsibilities include providing physical assistance to a fragile human, observing their behavior, and communicating with family and doctors. MIT Sloan professor of management Thomas Kochan shares those concerns, but also sees "tremendous" innovative potential in new technologies to create "a productive and more equitable future." Companies should focus on incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning into work processes and preparing employees, Brynjolfsson said at an EmTech Next conference, while policymakers should move to ensure its adoption doesn't contribute to inequality. Companies such as Wayfair and Spotify leverage machine learning for bespoke customer experiences, from highly tailored furniture search results to personalized suggested playlists. And, when COVID-19 spread, Moderna used its long-held automated processes and AI algorithms to increase the number of small-scale messenger RNA (mRNA) needed to run clinical experiments.

There's little question artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing an increased role in making business decisions. A 2022 survey of senior data and technology executives by NewVantage Partners found that 92% of large companies reported achieving returns on their data and AI investments -- an increase from 48% in 2017. But as these technologies enter the mainstream, new issues arise: How will they change the nature of workflow and workplace connection? Will they be ethically harnessed? Here's what to consider as AI and machine learning become omnipresent, according to MIT Sloan researchers, visiting scholars, and industry experts.

An AI productivity boom is coming. Here's what managers need to know to roll out intelligent technology that's ethical and worker-centric.