There was this magical moment when the robot, having analyzed the skin of its target, gracefully swung into an autonomous ballet of algorithmically delineated motions, artfully mixing ingredients, shaking, and stirring with the deft precision of a London bartender. Moments later, the work was complete: a personalized bottle of bespoke skin foundation. 

I saw this little piece of theatre last week in Seoul at Hera Beauty in the Seoungsu district. Seoul is full of weird and wonderful, immersive retail experiences  - but here is something you might not know: South Korea is the most automated country on the planet today. One out of ten workers in that country is already a robot. 

AI-powered organizations will be different, just not in the ways you might expect. When evaluating the impact of new technology, business leaders often focus on the wrong criteria. The real issue is not whether there is a sound business case for cutting costs or increasing productivity through AI and automation, but rather, frankly assessing the disruptive potential of these very same tools and platforms to reshape the dynamics of your market. If not by you, then by who? If not now - then when?

Automation is a controversial topic - many leaders are enthusiastic about the potential to cut costs and increase efficiency, while others fear for their jobs and the impact on company culture. Both perspectives are flawed. It is dangerous to reduce the automation debate to simplistic cliches, whether it be defending outdated human jobs or wishing for an AI-powered utopia where all our needs are met. Automation, AI, and algorithms are here to stay. The real question is: how do we make sure the future of work fits the world we want to live in?

Everyone these days seems to have a plan for AI. Or at least, they plan to mention it as often as possible in press releases and briefings to analysts. Paying lip service to AI is a dangerous distraction and a missed opportunity. A few may be fooled for a while - but unless you do the hard work now to reimagine what you do, you are likely to be left behind as we shift into a new era of AI-powered competition.

Here's the story of how Steve Jobs tricked you. When Jobs delivered his keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo in 2007, he pretended to be introducing three products: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough Internet communications device. You know the ending: these were not three separate devices; they were one device, and he called it an iPhone. But Jobs's real trick was yet to come.