Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been a topic of discussion at both the enterprise and consumer levels. Last year marked a meaningful trajectory for AI — although one might argue it was a time of flash instead of substance. 2018 marks a pivotal year in business adoption of AI and automation — it may be the year where the hype will give way to actual implementations of applied intelligence.

I believe companies will start to realize and embrace the benefits of AI, whether these benefits come from voice-powered assistants or less obvious and more fundamental technologies like behavioral algorithms and suggestive searches.

The Perfect Workplace

Let’s face it: Most business meetings are unproductive. Valuable time is spent simply finding a common time to meet and an appropriate location. Phone calls can be hard to hear and video can be difficult to set up. Even once the meeting takes place, time is spent looking for relevant documents and drafting notes.

What would all this lost time look like with the help of AI? Enter the office of the future.

The workspace of the future may not be the space-age dream we once envisioned. Even so, I think we are all coming to realize that tomorrow’s office is all about collaboration, integration and communication.

Imagine an office where sensors and lights provide cues for when and where meeting spaces are free or in use. Smart calendars will act as our personal assistants. An AI-powered bot will take notes during the meeting, pulling relevant documents that were mentioned in the conversation. These notes and documents will then come together to provide efficient action items stemming from the conversation, personalized for each participant.

Beyond these scheduled meetings, collaboration in meetings will be improved through unlimited memory and attention to detail. With valuable time no longer devoted to finding the appropriate email or file, more time will be available for teams to actually work and share meaningful ideas. Simple interactions throughout the day will be faster and offer more value for each contributor. All of these tools will culminate in a personalized, virtual assistant. Each employee will have a virtual chief of staff, with infinite patience, infinite memory and the ability to ultimately make proactive recommendations.