“The robots are coming for our jobs” has been a common concern expressed in discussions about AI. What underpins this sense of anxiety over job competition and scarcity is the concern that advancing AI systems will be sophisticated enough to do the work that humans do today. A more useful reframing articulates the relationship between human and machines as a partnership, through which the two groups work together to achieve more. Working within this framework, it is possible to envision cooperative AI systems in which human strengths are programmed and integrated into machine intelligence. Just as humans need to improve our ability to offload tasks that are better suited for machines, so will AI systems need to be designed to recognize computational limitations and know when to lean on their human partners for help with completing a task. AI explicitly designed for collaboration will help build capacity in machines to improve their understanding of humans.

This is just an excerpt from the Institute For The Future‘s new report in partnership with Dell and in consultation with industry experts including Silicon Valley Robotics and The Robotics Hub Fund. Go directly there or see our reports page to see it and other relevant reports that we have written or selected for you.