During Ocado’s most recent earnings call, chief executive Tim Steiner said the group’s advances in artificial intelligence and robotics had allowed it to fulfil online grocery shops at an ever faster pace. In 2012, it took 25 minutes of human labour to pick a 50-item order. That is now down to 10. But Ocado’s technological progress means the company requires 500 fewer workers this year, after it already announced 2,300 jobs would be at risk in 2023. The UK company’s move over many years to phase down human labour where feasible exemplifies workers’ fears about generative AI: it may boost productivity, efficiency and profitability but it can also displace staff. Some businesses are yet to embrace the shift but many have spent more than a year experimenting and engaging in workplace pilots. “Companies are moving from asking, ‘What is our AI strategy?’ to experimenting . . . implementing generative AI into processes,” said Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn. “It is starting to change the landscape of work.” Now employees, bosses and policymakers are trying to decipher what exactly the benefits of generative AI look like.

Full report : How AI technology is is starting to have a profound effect on work and employment.