With the onset of automation and artificial intelligence, the state, national and world economy could look very different in a future short years. And now state officials want to prepare for the coming robotic invasion.

A robot as a time-traveling assassin may not be a realistic threat. But automation and artificial intelligence could be one day for the average worker a real threat to their jobs, says Laura Schultz, a senior economist and director of fiscal analysis at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

"A robot is in danger of taking someone's job or significantly changing the work that we do at our jobs," Schultz said. "About 53 percent of New Yorkers will have their jobs changed as a result of artificial intelligence or automation."

With that in mind, Governor Andrew Cuomo last week signed into law a measure creating a commission to study the potential effect automation and artificial intelligence will have on the workforce and the economy of tomorrow. Schultz says the changes are already happening.

"New York is a hub for a lot of the industries where AI can be a big player," Schultz said. "The financial industry is one of the earliest adopters of AI, because it allows it to crunch a lot of data and see opportunities where humans can't."

Automation is already being used in a variety of ways. Think of the ATM or self-check outs at the supermarket. But Assemblywoman Pat Fahy is optimistic that AI can be harnessed and used well, helping people in a variety of tasks both large and small.

"There's a lot of artificial intelligence that we can use to help solve climate change, to help with monitoring our weather patterns, helping to regulate and test our water," Fahy said.

Fahy says New York needs to gain an understanding of the benefits of automation and artificial intelligence now in order to gain a competitive edge.

"We need to make sure that AI is working for us," Fahy said. "We just saw Microsoft is putting a billion dollar investment and China wants to be the worldwide leaders in AI. We've got to get out front."

The AI commission that was created by legislation last week is due to form later this year.