For all the giant leaps promised by artificial intelligence, when it comes to business, what we've seen so far amounts to just small steps. In fact, a number of very smart people advise companies to start small with AI: Use it to improve your customer service bots, for example, before you try to deploy it to cure cancer. So, yes, that appears to be a sensible approach. But it can also be a dangerous trap. When you think small, notes this week's guest, you get small results.

This audio conversation digs into research on the emerging job categories spurred by AI and what leaders should be thinking about next. MIT SMR editor in chief Paul Michelman recently spoke with authors Paul Daugherty and H. James Wilson to discuss the research that went into their (and coauthor Nicola Morini Bianzino's) 2017 article "The Jobs That Artificial Intelligence Will Create" and to find out what new developments in this space have their attention. This article is part of an MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. A major focus of the Daugherty and Wilson article is what kinds of skills will enable job transformation in the age of AI. Surprisingly, they've found that STEM skills, while important, are certainly not a prerequisite for transformation. In fact, their research shows that four soft skills are becoming much more valuable as human-machine collaboration advances. These skills include complex reasoning, creativity, social and emotional intelligence, and sensory perception. Get periodic email updates on how to incorporate new tech into your company's strategy and operations. Humans have never trained for many of the new jobs that AI will create -- so the question becomes, how do companies develop their workforce? Daugherty and Wilson cite the importance of experiential learning through hands-on apprenticeships and using technology to advance skills in new categories of jobs. In addition, the burden for skilling and reskilling must shift from the individual employee to the collective institution or organization.