Smart machines are coming, so what are we doing about it?

Instead of cowering in fear, what if we took a proactive approach? What if there were a playbook we could use to anticipate and thrive in an increasingly automated world?

In his book, Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines, Thomas Davenport, offers ways to accomplish that goal. His book is a guide for employees and students who want to know what they can do to work successfully with smart machines.

Tom is a Professor in Management and Information Technology at Babson College and co-founder of the International Institute for Analytics. He is also a Fellow of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a Senior Advisor to Deloitte Analytics. He teaches analytics and big data at Babson, Harvard, MIT, and Boston University and has written over 17 books

In this interview, we talk about:

What the number of bank tellers working today can tell us about smart machines

10 reasons to look over your shoulder for smart machines in your own work

What separates humans from machines

The 4 markers of machine smartness and which one we are living now

Why employers should aim for augmentation vs automation wherever possible

How smart machines can liberate us to do more creative and valuable work

Augmentation at its best in freestyle chess

How we can step in with machines in the workplace

Why we would want to step up with machines in the workplace

What it looks like to step forward with machines in the workplace

How we might step aside with machines in the workplace

How some are stepping narrowly with machines in the workplace

Why every organization needs an Automation Leader

Why we need to get past STEM as the only solution

The important role organizations play in providing professional learning

Why Tom argues against universal basic income

How companies can be more resilient in a digital age with increased competition

The fact that so few of our political leaders are talking about this big shift

Episode Links

@tdav

http://www.tomdavenport.com/

Oxford Study on The Future of Employment

Bricklaying Robots

Ex Machina

Freestyle chess

Former WaMu Risk Officer

Stretch by Karie Willyerd

2020 Workplace Report

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