But there's a difference between platform change and tools that work within those platforms. It will take a few years for self-driving cars to dominate highways, with regulation likely to be a bigger barrier than technology. But the Internet of Things, machine learning and artificial intelligence are coming on fast. In particular, IoT, which uses sensors to connect with software via the Internet, is as more about components than a major platform change and will take off as communications standards for sensors emerge. Chatbots are proliferating— tools such as Sage's Pegg, Syspro's Ken, Infor's Coleman and SAP's Leonardo, the latter embracing all of the new technologies mentioned. Or look at Sears' announcement this week it will sell its highly regarded Kenmore appliances utilizing Amazon and its Alexa in appliances that work the Kenmores. I am wary of those who predict AI means robots will take most of our jobs. In 1894, a writer for the Times of London estimated that in 50 years every street in that city would be buried under nine feet of manure. Obviously, that didn't happen. But we should consider the possible of AI, machine learning and distributed ledgers having a severe impact on accounting and auditing jobs. At his company's Sapphire conference in May, SAP exec Franck Cohen said, "We can automate 45 percent of transactions in ERP. Everything that can be automated will be automated."