Akkodis on Informa TechTarget: The automated workforce: Physical AI's labor impact
Physical AI won't replace most jobs; it will reshape them. Akkodis Group Chief AI Officer Joshua Morley on why augmentation, not automation, is set to be the bigger labor story.
2 minutes
16th of October, 2026
Why Physical AI Will Augment Work, Not Replace It
Informa TechTarget spoke with Akkodis Group Chief AI Officer Joshua Morley for a feature on how physical AI will change the workforce. Morley expects augmentation, not automation, to be the primary story; especially in non-linear work where exceptions require judgment or human interaction with physical AI taking on the repetitive, physically demanding or monotonous parts of a process while people stay responsible for the outcome. He pointed to autonomous haulage vehicles in Western Australian mines, which didn't eliminate jobs so much as create new maintenance, systems engineering and integration roles. The piece also cites Akkodis' own "What CTOs Think 2026" research: of 500 CTOs surveyed, half said AI is changing the skills a role needs and nearly half said it's changing day-to-day work, while only 21% reported it reducing headcount.
In these kinds of environments, we're expecting physical AI to take on the repetitive, physically demanding or monotonous parts of the process, where the people can take responsibility for the outcome.
Joshua Morley, Group Chief AI Officer, Akkodis