Equally loved and loathed by consumers nationwide, the Panera Bread fast casual chain has announced that it plans to test out artificial intelligence (AI) at its drive-thru windows for some reason. Per a press release, Panera said that starting this week, it'll be testing an AI system made by the hospitality technology company OpenCity that's named "Tori" -- because the whole thing definitely isn't uncanny valley enough, apparently. Tori, the press release says, will be deployed at two Upstate New York locations and will take orders like a real, live person. An actual human will be the one to take customers' money and hand them their food at the window, but Tori will be the one calling the shots, it seems. "The addition of this technology at the drive-thru will help to cut down wait times, improve order accuracy and allow associates to focus on freshly preparing guests' orders," reads Panera's statement.

These days, it's tough to avoid newspaper headlines warning that artificial intelligence is coming for your job. The problem is that, often, the only thing these oversimplifications get right is that there is in fact an important connection between automation and work. What's surprising is how many examples there are of AI acting as the catalyst for new hiring, higher wages, and happier employees. The reality is that the impact of AI on the workforce is complex, nuanced, and still very much in transition. A Deloitte study of automation in the U.K. found that 800,000 low-skilled jobs were eliminated as the result of AI and other automation technologies.