Research shows that software robots will soon automate 80% of repetitive tasks currently being done by people and increase productivity by freeing up humans to use their brains.

Businesses will need to develop a balance of artificial and human intelligence as different roles require a mix of the two, found the academic study by Goldsmiths, University of London and artificial intelligence (AI) supplier IPsoft,

It said by automating and redeploying humans away from repetitive jobs to tasks that require creativity and innovation, organisations can increase productivity three times over.

The FuturaCorp: Artificial Intelligence & the Freedom to be Human report outlines the future workplace where humans and machines together increase output.

The report described three tasks requiring a different mix of human and artificial intelligence.

It said deterministic tasks are repetitive and process-oriented, while probabilistic tasks require a human in concert with machines. Then there are cross-functional reasoning jobs that rely on connections that can only be made by the human brain.

The report said that 80% of deterministic tasks will be done by machines in the not-too-distant future, probabilistic jobs will be shared 50:50, while humans will do 80% of cross-functional reasoning tasks.

“The real productivity benefits of AI will not be simply a factor of automating existing processes. The arrival of AI will engender entirely new, unknown possibilities for humans and what they can achieve,” said Chris Brauer, senior lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London.

“It is this new configuration of humans working alongside intelligent machines that will be the source of sustained competitive advantage. The result will be FuturaCorp – a Fortune 500 with the innovative flexibility of a Silicon Valley startup, or a startup with the IT power of a Fortune 500.”

Chetan Dube, CEO at IPsoft, said CEOs must be prepared to redefine their business in order to capitalise on the productivity potential of AI. “That journey begins with fundamental change to organisation structure, who they hire for which roles, and how they use the new relationship between humans and machines to maximise efficiency and innovation.”

“AI engenders emergent individual qualities, which push us to access the more complex parts of our minds. When routine work is automated, we will be able – and required – to flex our most human of skills. The future of society relies on individuals accessing higher reasoning, critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills,” said Dube.