IWB Blog
A collection of observations, news and resources on the changing nature of innovation, technology, leadership, and other subjects.
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Category: Future of Work
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“The rapid rise of compound AI systems (a.k.a., AI agents) is reshaping the labor market, raising concerns about job displacement, diminished human agency, and overreliance on automation,” said “Future of Work with AI Agents,” a recently published paper by researchers from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and the Digital Economy Lab. “Yet, we lack…
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An article in the July 19, 2025 issue of The Economist asked “Why is AI so slow to spread?” in its title. “Talk to executives and before long they will rhapsodise about all the wonderful ways in which their business is using artificial intelligence,” said the article. CEOs proudly bragged about the impact AI is…
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Artificial intelligence first came to light in the mid-1950s as a promising new academic discipline that aimed to develop intelligent machines capable of handling human-like tasks like natural language and playing chess. AI became one of the most exciting areas in computer sciences in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, but after years of unfulfilled promises…
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The July 26 issue of The Economist included a special focus on “The Economics of Superintelligence” with three articles on the subject. “For most of history the safest prediction has been that things will continue much as they are,” said the lead article. “But sometimes the future is unrecognisable. The tech bosses of Silicon Valley say humanity…
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A report on the 2025 State of Tech Talent was recently published by Linux Foundation Research. “Our results reveal significant shifts in the technical workforce, particularly driven by AI adoption and a shortage of skilled professionals,” wrote authors Adrienn Lawson and Marco Aurelio Gerosa in the report’s Executive Summary. “Contrary to widespread concerns about AI-driven…
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Given that technologies have been automating human work over the past couple of centuries, — why hasn’t automation already wiped out a majority of jobs? Why are there still so many jobs left? The answer isn’t very complicated, although frequently overlooked, explained MIT economist David Autor in a 2015 article “Why Are There Still So…
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In December of 2024, the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) released “5 Trends for 2025” a report that examined how business leaders can empower people to innovate in the age of AI without putting the business at risk. “2024 was a year of letting go,” said the report in its Introduction. “As a combination…
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I retired from my long, 37-year career at IBM in June of 2007. At the time, I had already become affiliated with MIT’s Engineering Systems Division, and was looking forward to the graduate seminar that I’d be teaching that fall at MIT on Technology-based Business Transformation. “This course covers how to leverage major technology advances…
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Last month I moderated a panel on “The Impact AI on Jobs and Skills” at the annual 2025 MIT Sloan CIO Symposium. “As AI transforms industry after industry, its impact on the labor force is becoming a critical focus for business, educators, and policy makers,” read the panel’s blurb. “What will be the impact of…
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What is Agentic AI? There are multiple answers to this question, not surprisingly since we’re still in the early stages of this complex technology. Wikipedia emphasizes the autonomous nature of agentic AI in its definition: Agentic AI is “a class of artificial intelligence that focuses on autonomous systems that can make decisions and perform tasks…