‘Why would we employ people?’ Experts on five ways AI will change work

From farming and education to healthcare and the military, artificial intelligence is poised to make sweeping changes to the workplace. But can it have a positive impact - or are we in for a darker future?

In 1965, the political scientist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon declared: Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do." Today, in what is increasingly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is igniting similar concerns.

The European parliament's forthcoming Artificial Intelligence Act is likely to deem the use of AI across education, law enforcement and worker management to be high risk". Geoffrey Hinton, known as the godfather of AI", recently resigned from his position at Google, citing concerns about the technology's impact on the job market. And, in early May, striking members of the Writers Guild of America promised executives: AI will replace you before it replaces us."