During a keynote DirectIndustry attended at Automation Fair, strategic advisor Anat Baron highlighted the transformative shifts reshaping our world, driven by technology and mostly AI. She is advising us to reimagine our relationship with innovation and emphasizes the critical role of human adaptability and wisdom.
Anat Baron wanted her talk to serve as a reminder that the future of AI is not predestined but shaped by the collective actions and decisions of individuals, organizations, and societies.
“AI is the New Electricity”
Baron situates us in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where rapid advancements in AI, energy transitions, and geopolitical shifts are accelerating change at an unprecedented pace. She emphasizes:
“In the last 30 years, we have seen so much change. First came the Internet, and then mobile, which changed everything, and the cloud (…) AI is the new electricity. It’s going to change everything. It already is. And so we need, as individuals, to start thinking about how to live as we move through this transformational time and look forward towards the future.”
Like electricity, AI will underpin every industry and transform how we live and work. Its applications will become so ubiquitous that we may not even notice its presence.
“AI basically is becoming infrastructure. It is as fundamental as electricity. And AI and generative-AI are impacting every single industry right now.”
Baron underscores that avoiding this wave of innovation will soon be impossible for those who wish to opt out:
“It’s here, it’s coming and it’s only going to accelerate.”
DirectIndustry Took a Ride in a Waymo
Take autonomous vehicles, for instance—powered by AI systems, they are already operating on the streets of several U.S. cities. At DirectIndustry, we even had the opportunity to experience a ride in a Waymo self-driving car in Los Angeles last month (see our video).
This new reality, for Baron, has wide-ranging implications, both in terms of opportunities and challenges.
Let’s explore the opportunities that AI is generating in 2024 and those it will continue to create in the future.
“AI Is Going to Help Us Accelerate Innovation”
When ChatGPT launched in 2022, it reached 100 million users in only 2 months. This is faster than any other technology in history. By comparison, it took Uber 70 months to achieve the same milestone.
“And what does that mean? It means that there is a hunger out there for new technologies, for finding new ways to interact with it. There’s still a lot of excitement.”
Indeed, the opportunities are numerous and will continue to grow as technology advances, starting with freeing up more of our time.
“It’s going to automate this mundane work. It’s going to optimize business practices and processes to make things easier for humans. It will make us deliver hyper personalized customer experiences. And most importantly, I think AI is going to help us accelerate innovation.”
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Avatars and AI Agents
The future of work is particularly rapidly evolving with advancements in AI, particularly through avatars, AI agents, and systems of agents.
Meetings, traditionally reliant on human presence, may soon involve avatars acting on behalf of participants. These AI-driven avatars can mimic human behavior, exchange information, and generate actionable outputs like to-do lists, freeing humans to focus on higher-value activities.
“This could be your next team meeting, literally, a bunch of avatars getting together with your AI teammates, having a conversation. You don’t even need to be there. And you could be doing something perhaps more important than just deliberate information to the agent.”
AI agents represent the next level of this evolution. Unlike traditional AI systems and simple chatbots that operate on predefined patterns and datasets, AI agents focus on contextual reasoning, logical deduction, and adaptability, making it closer to how humans process and solve problems.
“They can perform tasks such as writing code, booking travel, and taking actions autonomously on your behalf. So you’re not just talking to them or with them to get information. They’re actually doing things for you.”
Major tech companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, and OpenAI are already developing advanced AI agents and agentic applications tailored to specific industries, moving beyond mere pattern recognition and response generation. OpenAI, through its Strawberry project, is prototyping AI systems capable of reasoning.
Next Step: A System of Agents
“And guess what’s coming right after this? Systems of agents.”
The concept of systems of agents expands this idea further, integrating multiple agents to handle complex workflows.
Alongside these advancements, wearable technologies like augmented reality glasses and smarter virtual assistants (e.g., Siri) are anticipated to transform how we interact with information and the world around us.
“How great would it be to have an AI assistant with you at all times?”
But she is clear: for her, AI, at least for now, is not capable of independent thought. That remains our responsibility. Despite its ability to mimic human conversations and the way we interact with it as if it were a person, it is still a machine.
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“40% of the Global Workforce Need to be Reskilled”
Despite all these opportunities and advancements—whether we like it or not—Anat Baron acknowledges that AI and generative AI come with many questions and challenges that we humans must address.
Ethical concerns are at the forefront, with issues like data transparency and AI hallucinations requiring careful solutions.
“Why does the AI come up with certain answers? And if you ask the people making them, they don’t know. So there are a lot of questions that need to be addressed.”
There’s also the issue of energy needs. AI’s immense computational power demands a significant amount of energy and electricity. In one of our recent stories, we explored these questions further, including the potential role of nuclear energy in helping industries transition to sustainable power solutions.
Global competition is another critical factor. Countries like China are rapidly advancing in AI, pushing other nations, including the U.S., to innovate at an accelerated pace—often without waiting for the implementation of necessary regulations and safeguards.
However, the biggest concern for many is the fear of job loss or displacement. According to an IBM study, 40% of the global workforce will need to be reskilled in the next three years due to AI. Baron is pragmatic about this reality:
“If your job can be done by a robot, your job will be done by a robot. For those of you who enjoy Excel spreadsheets and putting in the formulas, please find another hobby. The AI can do it better and faster. Hopefully, you can focus on something requiring critical thinking—something that leverages your human brain. It’s not going to replace all jobs, but it will replace some.”
“We’re Still the Boss of AI”
The good news, according to Baron, is that we, as humans, have agency—we have a voice, a role to play—if we can figure out how to use AI effectively. She envisions a future where humans and AI work in tandem, with humans firmly in charge as the “boss” of AI.
This concept isn’t entirely new; industries have been implementing it for years. A prime example is the pilot-machine collaboration in aviation. Modern planes operate on autopilot for much of the flight, showcasing a well-functioning “human-in-the-loop” system. This collaboration has been successful for years because of clear role definitions. The AI handles specific tasks, while the pilot maintains ultimate control. He can override the AI at any moment.
“And if he questions the AI’s actions, the system can provide a clear explanation.”
Another illustrative case is the use of cobots, which have been steadily taking over repetitive tasks on the factory floor for more than a decade. These uncaged robotic arms enable humans to focus on critical thinking and creativity. We frequently discuss such advancements in this medium.
Even at companies like Google, human-machine collaboration is a driving force.
“More than 25% of all new code at Google is being written by AI, and then it’s reviewed by engineers. So things are changing really fast.”
Baron concludes on an optimistic note. While AI will fundamentally reshape industries and societies, it is humans who remain in charge of its use. By balancing AI’s speed, scale, and efficiency with human creativity, empathy, and wisdom, she believes we can craft a future where technology enables us to flourish.
One caveat remains: if AI liberates us from time-consuming tasks, what will we do with all this newfound time? Will society find ways to ensure that this time is well-spent—on pursuits that don’t necessarily have financial compensation? While we agree on the positive potential of AI, the question of how to sustain society, including feeding the planet, remains unanswered. Perhaps we should ask AI itself—maybe it has an answer.
Prompt idea: “Hey AI, once you’re handling all our uncreative and time-consuming tasks, what will we humans do with our time on the planet? How will we choose to spend it?”
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RECAP: Practical Advice for Organizations
Here are Baron’s actionable steps for leveraging AI responsibly and effectively:
1. Integrate AI Thoughtfully
AI should not be a superficial addition to your work or business processes. Instead, think of it as an integral component that aligns with your goals, team dynamics, and organizational structure.
2. Adopt a Mindset of Augmentation, Not Replacement
It’s essential to shift the perception of AI from a replacement tool to one that enhances human capabilities.
“AI is not here to eliminate jobs but to elevate our potential by handling tasks at scale and speed, allowing humans to focus on creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.”
3. Build a Culture of Experimentation
Adopting AI is as much about innovation as it is about technology. Build a culture where experimentation is encouraged, and failure is seen as a stepping stone to success.
4. Leverage the Unique Human-AI Partnership
The true power of AI lies in the partnership between human adaptability and AI’s capabilities.
5. Focus on Human Traits
AI should amplify the best of what makes us human—our wisdom, experience, creativity, and empathy.
