Post by IMD

“Are we creating jobs where humans are using AI to be more productive… or are we going to create a lot of jobs below the algorithm, where technology basically controls humans?”    That was the question IMD President David Bach put to the room at the European Pulse Forum, during a panel discussion on AI’s impact on society and the future of work.    Data from beBartlet and POLITICO revealed a striking tension. European opinion on AI is almost perfectly divided – 50% see more benefits, while 50% anticipate more risks. At the same time, a majority say they are not concerned about AI displacing their jobs, even as younger generations show more caution than expected.    The differences across countries were equally telling. In Spain, 62.7% see more benefits from AI, while in France, 64.1% anticipate more risks, suggesting that attitudes toward AI are shaped as much by context and confidence as by the technology itself.    The takeaway is not resistance, but uncertainty about how AI will reshape work, opportunity, and trust.    While predictions about job loss are becoming more extreme, the discussion pointed to a more nuanced reality. AI is less likely to eliminate work outright than to transform it – often unevenly across sectors and skill levels. As Stijn Broecke noted, tasks are evolving faster than institutions can adapt, placing pressure on skills. At the same time, as Kristina Kallas emphasized, education systems are still catching up, even as employers already expect AI capabilities and higher-order thinking.    For organizations, the real bottleneck is not the technology itself, but how they respond to it. As Bach put it, “it’s not about technology, it’s about how humans and organizations respond to technology.”    Many companies are experimenting with AI, but struggle to translate it into value. Fragmented data, internal incentives, and uncertainty continue to slow progress.    The implication is clear: AI will reshape work – but whether it augments human capability or places people under the logic of the algorithm will depend on the choices leaders make now.