The rise of technology is not without risks. Will the robots take our jobs? Will the income tax base be eroded? Will the algorithms rampage?

As the use of artificial intelligence and cognitive computing becomes more widespread, the more important conversation is around skills, trust and transparency, Kerry Purcell, managing director of IBM Australia and New Zealand, believes.

Purcell says the ethical expectations are clear; organisations must know how an AI system comes to one conclusion over another and have confidence in that process.

"Companies must be able to explain the foundation of their algorithms' decision-making process to help people understand and trust how AI technologies make their recommendations," he says.

Maurice Pagnucco, head of the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of NSW, says technology is now accelerating to the extent that people are having to rethink what computers can and cannot do.

"The theory tells you that there are things that computers cannot do. But that theory is predicated on computers achieving precise reasoning – but humans don't work that way."

Business psychologist Susan Nicholson believes that it is important for organisations developing and deploying cognitive systems to ensure that they are designed to enhance rather than threaten people.

Emotional intelligence, which is unique to people, remains, she says, a critical part of effective decision-making. To thrive in the evolving workplace, people must hone their creativity, demonstrate their ability to act and be prepared to accept change.

Purcell adds, "An AI system returns insights, discoveries and recommendations, but critical decisions, such as those our doctors deal with every single day, require human judgment, morals and intuition – AI does not and will not change that."