As jobs across the board are getting automated and machines are getting more intelligent, tech disruption or technological advancement can be a cause of worry. With Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning (ML) becoming a reality, the pertinent question here is how we can cope with this rapid change. On day two of The New Indian Express’ ThinkEdu Conclave, some of the best minds from the tech world spoke on ‘Preparing for the workplace of tomorrow’.
C Velan, CEO and MD of Tata Realty and Infrastructure who chaired the session, started the discussion by pointing out the four dimensions of the future workspace: physical and infrastructural buildup, resources and skill set requirement, innovations as a catalyst and, most importantly, an informal way of working. “In the future, the transformation that we will see will be a shrinking workspace and increased skill sets” he said.
Talking about the digital transformation at his office, Venguswamy Ramaswamy, Global Head - TCS iON said,” Workplaces now are asking the question ‘Is the work going to be done by humans or should we give first right to a machine?’ And for productivity gain, it is not feasible to deliver it through human hands.”
“The workplace of the future will be informal for generating large and impactful ideas rather than a very structured way of formal discussion,” he added.
Rama Kirloskar, Managing Director of Kirloskar Ebara Pumps spoke about how tech is driving change in the manufacturing sector. Quoting the example of 3D printing, she said that this technology can help cleanse the traditional foundry processes by reducing wastage of resources, “Even though there will be a reduction of people there will be a higher number of skilled people,” she pointed out.
Dhruv Galgotia, CEO of Galgotias University, spoke about how AI, Augmented Reality and Big Data can help transform the face of education. “The workplace of tomorrow will see a dramatic change and if universities do not acknowledge these changes now, they will soon perish,” he said.
Parmesh Shahani, Head of Godrej India Cultural Lab, on the other hand, spoke about how a workspace where employee satisfaction was paramount was the need of the hour, “An inclusive workplace is something that we stand by. A workplace is a place where you come to learn. It has values that it espouses and these values are what the employees will practice in their lives,” he said.