Humanity has long had an uneasy relationship with artificial intelligence. For decades, popular culture furnished us with visions of androids in revolt, overthrowing their fleshy masters. As automation crept into workplaces, that fear took second place to a more banal dystopian vision — a future in which machines would simply replace workers.

That concern has only been heightened by coronavirus. Research released in December (of which more later) warned that in the UK, sectors such as hospitality and retail — already reeling from Covid-19 shutdowns — are most at risk from the acceleration of workplace automation during the pandemic, although many other jobs are unsafe.

Business leaders face a choice in how they implement innovative technologies such as AI and industrial robots. The long-term view, which will enrich society, is to treat these tools as force multipliers and invest heavily in ensuring employees have the skills to best make use of them. The alternative is to sleepwalk into a hollowing-out of the labour market, with those already suffering during the coronavirus crisis often most at risk.