Robots and artificial intelligence are likely to replace nearly 50 percent of all jobs over the next decade according to Kai-Fu Lee, the founder of a venture capital firm and a top tech voice in China.
Artificial intelligence will be the "singular thing that will be larger than all of human tech revolutions added together, including electricity, industrial revolution, internet, mobile internet - because AI is pervasive," Lee said in an interview with CNBC.
"It is the decision engine that will replace people."
And the capabilities of the AI software will far exceed humanity's abilities according to Lee.
Lee knows his stuff. He was the previous head of Google China before founding his own venture capital firm. He's also held several other executive posts at other major tech companies including Apple and Microsoft.
While the future may look more like the Matrix than Star Trek, automation has long been a spooky threat to labor. What's new is how Artificial Intelligence threatens to completely change how industries consider data they receive, changing how they reach customers in ways people can't even conceive of yet.
The big question for Lee is: Will Humanity still have a place in the world while machines become more competent in solving our issues?
"Touching one's heart with your heart is something that machines, I believe, will never be good at," Lee said. He explained that service jobs like health care and customer service could be considered the 'first-class' of employment in the future.