This report was produced as part of the McKinsey Global Institute’s overall research on the impact of technology on business and society, and specifically our ongoing research program on the future of work and the potential impacts on the global economy of data and analytics...

Automation is happening, and it will bring substantial benefits to businesses and economies worldwide, but it won’t arrive overnight. A new McKinsey Global Institute report finds realizing automation’s full potential requires people and technology to work hand in hand.

As automation technologies such as machine learning and robotics play an increasingly great role in everyday life, their potential effect on the workplace has, unsurprisingly, become a major focus of research and public concern. The discussion tends toward a Manichean guessing game: which jobs will...