We might think that the conception of robots, AI, and automated machines is a modern phenomenon, but, in fact, the idea had already appeared in Western literature nearly 3,000 years ago. Long before Isaac Asimov conceived the Laws of Robotics (1942) and John McCarthy coined the term "Artificial Intelligence" (1995), Ancient Greeks myths were full of stories about intelligent humanoids. The fact that these mythical humanoids meet the criteria of modern definitions on robotics and AI is impressive in itself. But what's even more astonishing is that these old tales can provide us with valuable teachings and insights into our modern discourse on artificial intelligence. Such stories "perpetuated over millennia, are a testament to the persistence of thinking and talking about what it is to be human and what it means to simulate life," historian Adrienne Mayor, writes in her book Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology.

David Poulsen, CutCableToday's IT expert, says connected, or autonomous, vehicles, are attractive because of the technologies that undergird them. "The Internet of Things (IoT) is one part of the equation," Poulsen explains. "The other part is artificial intelligence (AI). It acts as the driver, helping the connected'thing,' which could be a vehicle or inventory system, make smarter decisions." As applied to transportation management, that automated decision-making ability is critical.

On today's episode, Mitch Jeserich hosts George Zarkadakis. Zarkadakis, a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, is the author of several novels including his latest book In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The book explains AI's history, technology, its potential; its manifestations in intelligent machines; its connections to neurology and consciousness, as well as -- perhaps most tellingly -- what AI reveals about us as human beings. Mitch also talks to Bart Ehrman about his book Forged: Writing in the Name of God – Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are. Ehrman is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

George Zarkadakis is a thought-leader in digital innovation, digital transformation, and most importantly for us, Artificial Intelligence. He's now the Digital Lead at Willis Towers Watson, a world leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, and he has even written a book on AI, called In Our Own Image: Will artificial intelligence save or destroy us?. Zarkadakis took some time to talk to us about how AI was being implemented in businesses today, and how it will change our industry of the future. We started off our conversation with Zarkadakis by asking him how is Willis Towers Watson currently uses AI in their business strategy. "We have been pioneering machine learning applications in insurance for some time now, developing AI solutions for talent analytics, and have been piloting robotic process automation too," he answered.

The rapid and inexorable progress in the development of artificial intelligence has raised understandable concerns over the risks the technology poses to job security. There is a palpable fear that humans will quickly become obsolete, with some suggesting that up to half of existing jobs could be automated. This viewpoint is oversimplified, write Ravin Jesuthasan, Tracy Malcolm, and George Zarkadakis for the Harvard Business Review, as it fails to consider that automation will affect only certain tasks within specific jobs of a given occupation (when evaluated this way, only 9% of jobs are at a high risk of automation). In this more nuanced understanding, AI will simply force us to rethink our job descriptions, rather than eliminating work altogether. Already AI is having a significant impact on how we do our jobs, from streamlining administrative tasks to expediting medical research, and this rapid evolution requires a new way of thinking about the value of an employee and her performance.

When American novelist David Foster Wallace delivered the commencement address at Kenyon College in 2005, he urged the graduating class to "exercise some control over how and what you think." If you don't at least try to regulate your thoughts and behaviors, Wallace cautioned, you will go through life "dead, unconscious, a slave to your head." Wallace himself long suffered with unwanted negative thoughts and crippling self-doubt--and took his own life three years after that speech. But can our mind become a "terrible master," as Wallace described? Kessler, the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has considered that question for the past two decades, studying how substances such as food, alcohol and tobacco can hijack our brain chemistry and compel us to act against our own best intentions--bingeing on brownies, booze or cigarettes.

It's hard to think of a company more infatuated with AI than Google. With multi-billion dollar investments in deep learning startups like DeepMind, and responsible for some of the biggest advances involving neural networks, Google is the greatest cheerleader artificial intelligence could possibly hope for. But that doesn't mean there aren't things about AI that scare the search giant. Related: Google researchers have plans for an AI "kill switch" In a new paper, entitled "Concrete Problems in AI Safety," Google researchers -- alongside experts from UC Berkeley and Stanford University -- lay out some of the possible "negative side effects" which may arise from AI systems over the coming years. Instead of focusing on the distant threat of superintelligence, the 29-page paper instead examines "unintended and harmful behavior that may emerge from poor design."

Young people will bear the brunt of Artificial Intelligence (AI) fuelled job losses as smart systems undercut entry-level roles in everything from marketing to retail. Machine learning and expert systems will not destroy jobs wholesale, predicts George Zarkadakis, digital lead at advisory firm Willis Towers Watson, but will remove the need for many tasks that employees have traditionally cut their teeth on at the beginning of their careers. Zarkadakis cited a study by consultants McKinsey, which found that just under one third of activities that make up 60 percent of existing jobs will be automated. Unfortunately for new entrants to job markets, the bulk of these activities will be concentrated in starter roles, said Zarkadakis. "We've done some research ourselves and looked at the impact on entry-level jobs. Jobs that graduates get once they leave university. We found that many of the entry-level jobs are very susceptible to complete obliteration," he told The AI Summit in London.

Machine learning and expert systems will not destroy jobs wholesale, predicts George Zarkadakis, digital lead at advisory firm Willis Towers Watson, but will remove the need for many tasks that employees have traditionally cut their teeth on at the beginning of their careers. Zarkadakis cited a study by consultants McKinsey, which found that just under one third of activities that make up 60 percent of existing jobs will be automated. Unfortunately for new entrants to job markets, the bulk of these activities will be concentrated in starter roles, said Zarkadakis. "We've done some research ourselves and looked at the impact on entry-level jobs. Jobs that graduates get once they leave university. We found that many of the entry-level jobs are very susceptible to complete obliteration," he told The AI Summit in London.

Machine learning and expert systems will not destroy jobs wholesale, predicts George Zarkadakis, digital lead at advisory firm Willis Towers Watson, but will remove the need for many tasks that employees have traditionally cut their teeth on at the beginning of their careers. Zarkadakis cited a study by consultants McKinsey, which found that just under one third of activities that make up 60 percent of existing jobs will be automated. Unfortunately for new entrants to job markets, the bulk of these activities will be concentrated in starter roles, said Zarkadakis. "We've done some research ourselves and looked at the impact on entry-level jobs. Jobs that graduates get once they leave university. We found that many of the entry-level jobs are very susceptible to complete obliteration," he told The AI Summit in London.