The predominantly task-level impact of AI means that the reinvention of work will require integrating four vectors of change into a coherent whole that includes:

1)    Automation of tasks

Such as processes in financial services mortgage approval, insurance industry claims handling, legal services research, healthcare diagnostics, and much more.

For example, forms are preloaded with information from existing knowledge and client relationship management systems prior to being sent to clients or manual data and information entry in supply and production line management is gathered through automated invoice scanning.

 

2)    Reconfiguring of tasks

To exploit the power of humans and machines working together in a collaborative new environment.

For example, reinventing healthcare roles to exploit cognitive augmentation of functions such as nursing, diagnosis, pharmacy, and more or using voice assistants to capture, find and share important information in policing.

 

3)    Reinvention of work structures

To establish new tasks and roles using AI—and unlock the potential for innovative new services to emerge as AI and humans work together. This requires reimagining the end-to-end enterprise value chain and operating model.

Pre-COVID-19, we already saw life sciences companies establish entirely new business units that focus on prevention and innovative management of chronic conditions. These ground-breaking “health services” propositions can combine wearable technology, AI, social media tools, and human intervention to ward off heart ailments, for example, or help diabetes patients via real-time blood sugar analysis and guidance. It is expected that more investment will be spent on outbreak predictions, epidemiology, and dedicated drug research in light of COVID-19.

 

4)    The need to experiment

Is a critical success factor. Why? Because there is no playbook to follow. The future’s required mind-set will emphasize experimentation, agility, and in-the-moment learning—replacing a highly planned and considered approach whose traditional long lead times are likely to be too inflexible in the digital era and New Reality of life with COVID-19. This new perspective will, of course, include the need for change management that delivers buy-in and engagement from a workforce facing its own reinvention.

For example, an organization decides to stick with 90 percent remote working, using virtual reality to conduct conferences from home or tries new approaches to pushing ahead with technological adoption that had lagged before COVID-19.

 

Automating what is already there is only half the battle. Imagining what should be there is the other half.

This four-part reinvention imperative requires crucial new capabilities that will transform the enterprise from an end-to-end, outside-in perspective. Our experience in the deployment of AI reveals the importance of understanding things from a customer or end-user perspective and working back from there.

_{The excerpt was taken from KPMG article, Reinventing work: A sequel to the Rise of the Humans series.}