The wait is over: artificial intelligence (AI) is here. And despite apocalyptic predictions about workers being replaced by intelligent machines, leading organizations are taking a new tack: actively searching for strategies to integrate AI into teams to produce transformative business results. These "superteams" hold the promise of enabling organizations to reinvent themselves to create new value and meaning, while giving workers the potential to reinvent their careers in ways that help increase their value to the organization and their own employability. For organizations that still view AI mainly as an automation tool to reduce costs, connecting their AI initiatives with their efforts to craft more effective teams is a first step toward enabling humans and machines to work together in new, more productive ways. The Readiness Gap: Fifty-nine percent of organizations say the redesign of jobs to integrate AI technology is important or very important for their success over the next 12 to 18 months, but only 7 percent say they are very ready to address this trend.

I had an interesting conversation the other day with Michael Stephan, a principal in Deloitte Consulting's Human Capital practice. He and I spoke during an interview for an upcoming feature story I'm writing. Stephan consults regularly with some of the largest and most well-known companies in the U.S. A number of them are, not surprisingly, focused on how to prepare their workforces for the changes that automation and machine learning (aka artificial intelligence) will be bringing to many of today's jobs. Managers in particular are seeing their roles greatly altered and this is giving rise to what Deloitte is calling the "superjob," says Stephan. As an example, he cites a company that operates warehouse-distribution centers.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive technologies, and robotics to automate and augment work is on the rise, prompting the redesign of jobs in a growing number of domains. The jobs of today are more machine-powered and data-driven than in the past, and they also require more human skills in problem-solving, communication, interpretation, and design. As machines take over repeatable tasks and the work people do becomes less routine, many jobs will rapidly evolve into what we call "superjobs"--the newest job category that changes the landscape of how organizations think about work. During the last few years, many have been alarmed by studies predicting that AI and robotics will do away with jobs. In 2019, this topic remains very much a concern among our Global Human Capital Trends survey respondents.

Will artificial intelligence help amplify the skills of our workforce? The onset of AI is requiring us to break apart the bundles of tasks that form many current jobs, and realign them with existing human talent and machine-based skills. For example, a telecom provider employs AI to diagnose and help customers with common service problems, while the call center reps who once walked customers through diagnosis steps are now employed to assist with higher-level situations. The shift to AI-enhanced jobs -- or "superjobs" -- isn't going to happen naturally. It's going to require forward-looking management.

When you really think about it, what we call "work" hasn't evolved much since the Industrial Revolution: While the technology has made most tasks easier, the name of the game is still mass production--codifying business processes using technology and scaling it across the entire enterprise. But artificial intelligence (AI) changes the game. Rather than fitting people into a repetitive process, AI offers the opportunity to liberate them from it altogether, freeing their time and creative energy for more strategic and meaningful work. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, technology is being used to bring humanity back to work. This revolution actually began at home, thanks to the smart technology behind Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, which have found a place in our daily lives.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive technologies, and robotics to automate and augment work is on the rise, prompting the redesign of jobs in a growing number of domains. The jobs of today are more machine-powered and data-driven than in the past, and they also require more human skills in problem-solving, communication, interpretation, and design. As machines take over repeatable tasks and the work people do becomes less routine, many jobs will rapidly evolve into what we call "superjobs"--the newest job category that changes the landscape of how organizations think about work. During the last few years, many have been alarmed by studies predicting that AI and robotics will do away with jobs. In 2019, this topic remains very much a concern among our Global Human Capital Trends survey respondents.

Today's evolving business landscape puts organizations under constant pressure to innovate. This has made digital transformation a top priority for businesses. For some, digital transformation efforts are yielding positive results. However, many companies are struggling to reap the benefits of digital transformation, as becoming a digital enterprise is no small undertaking. It requires comprehensive, systemic change.