From Automation to Collaboration: The Three Waves of AI

allynitschke
Sep 25
3 min read

How are you? What a good day to have a good day! I'm writing this from glorious regional NSW for a school holiday trip. And it's wonderful to be away and on the road with my 5 favourite people.

If you missed it last week, I launched our Special Report on Leadership of the Future in the Age of AI. You can read about it here, and download a copy of the report here.

When people talk about AI, it often feels like one big, scary leap into the future. But the truth is, AI hasn’t arrived overnight, it’s been unfolding in waves.

And to understand what’s happening right now, leaders need to step back and see the bigger picture.

Here's how I'm seeing the progress of AI and the integration overtime.

Wave One: Automation (2010 - 2020)

The first wave of AI wasn’t glamorous. It was about machines taking over repetitive, rule-based tasks.

Think things like, invoice processing, data entry, basic customer service chatbots.

This era was defined by cost savings and efficiency.

Leaders were excited because automation freed up money and time, but also nervous, because it created headlines about “robots taking jobs.”

In reality, automation removed the work nobody wanted to do anyway.

Wave Two: Augmentation (2020 - 2025)

The second wave is where we are now: augmentation. Instead of replacing people, AI is helping them.

In insurance, AI triage systems cut claims processing time by 40%.
In healthcare, AI scribes are giving clinicians back two to three hours per shift.
In government, AI tools are summarising complex reports in minutes instead of weeks.

Augmentation means AI is no longer just about efficiency, it’s about effectiveness.

Leaders are starting to see that AI can reduce the grind, giving people space for higher-value work.

Wave Three: Human–AI Collaboration (2025–2035)

The next decade will be defined by collaboration.

This is where humans and AI work together seamlessly, each playing to their strengths.

AI will handle the analysis, processing, and pattern recognition.
Humans will focus on judgement, creativity, empathy, and ethics.

But collaboration doesn’t happen by accident, it requires leadership.

Leaders will need to:

Redesign workflows so AI frees humans instead of overwhelming them.
Build AI literacy across their teams.
Create cultures of trust where people see AI as a partner, not a threat.

What This Means for Leaders

If automation was about efficiency, and augmentation is about effectiveness, then collaboration is about potential.

The leaders who thrive in this third wave won’t be those with the loudest authority, but those with the courage to adapt, experiment, and help their people see AI as an ally.

Because in the end, AI won’t shape the future of work, leaders will.

If you would like to book in a time to speak with Ally: CLICK HERE.

Ally Nitschke is a best-selling Author, an award-winning Thought Leader and Speaker. She has been working with leaders and as a Leader for over 20 years.

She is on a mission to change the way we communicate at work, to lean into those uncomfortable conversations and lead with courage.

Ally is a Keynote Speaker at conferences, delivers Transformational Programs & highly engaging workshops as well as provides Executive Coaching.