Sentient Tools and the Future of Work

Ma’am, we need a decision,” Lucy stuttered, afraid to look at her boss. “Give me ve minutes,” Nadya Winters replied calmly. As CEO of DJO Associates, Winters was used to such rapid decisions. The rm specialized in up-to-the-second and out-of-the-box nancial analysis for the growing horde of AI-powered investment rms. Winters strode toward her personal conference room—“The Chamber”— where she went to consult privately with advisors on decisions that could have rami cations in the billions of dollars. The room lit up when Winters entered. “Call all ve,” she commanded. The walls came alive with communication protocols bringing up Winters’ ve top advisors. Advisors had to always be on their toes. The markets moved fast, and an advisor who couldn’t keep up was traded for one who could. “Hello, Ms. Winters,” the rst advisor said with a smile. “Archana here,” replied another. “Jaizhen here. Sorry I’m late. It was—” Winters cut him o : “We have less than two minutes. Our analyst picked this up this morning, and I think it could be big.” Outside, Lucy stared at the door, tapping her foot nervously. Her stomach was always in knots, but she loved her job. “What’s the decision?” Rodgers’ voice boomed. “She’s in the Chamber. With all ve of them.” “Five?” Rodgers shook his head, not hiding his contempt for Winters’ decisionmaking process. “Who needs ve AIs?” “You can’t argue with her track record,” Lucy spoke up. She wouldn’t stand for his dismissive attitude. “She’s made more money for this company than any other CEO.” Silence dropped heavily over the two. Time was running out. The door to the Chamber slowly opened, revealing Winters’ relaxed face. “What’s the call?” Lucy chirped, still tense. “We’re good,” Winters waved away her concerns. “I sent the order to the team myself.” “But what did we do?” Lucy asked. “We just made 5.1 billion dollars for ourselves and our clients,” Winters smiled. “Not bad for a Wednesday morning.”