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

CM 052: Tom Davenport On Avoiding Obsolescence in an Automated Age

Curious Minds at Work