Instead of fearing job replacement by artificial intelligence (AI), business leaders are becoming increasingly optimistic about it. According to a new research report released Thursday, about 83% of Indian workers expect to delegate as much work as possible to AI to lighten their workload.
Microsoft’s 2023 Job Trends Index study, which surveyed 31,000 people across industries in 31 countries, including 1,000 in India, found that more than 3 in 4 Indian workers They say they are comfortable using AI for their work (86%) as well as their analytical work (88%), as well as the creative aspects of their role (87%). Additionally, an Indian manager surveyed by Microsoft said he was 1.6 times more likely to say AI would bring value to the workplace through productivity gains rather than job cuts.
At a virtual Microsoft roundtable on Thursday, Bhaskar Basu, country head of modern work, said Microsoft India has digital debt in almost every company, which is hurting innovation. argued that they were giving
“The volume of data, emails and chats is outstripping our ability to handle it all. There are opportunities to make existing communications more productive. say they don’t have enough time and energy to achieve their goals, and they are 3.1 times more likely to say they struggle with being innovative,” he said.
In Microsoft 365 itself, Basu said the average person spends 57% of their time communicating and only 43% of their time creating. Moreover, an overwhelming 78% of Indian workers agree that he lacks uninterrupted focus while on the job.
The survey found that 8 in 10 leaders are concerned about a lack of innovation. Bass pointed out that inefficiencies in meetings, reported by 46% of Indian workers who felt their colleagues didn’t notice when they missed more than half of meetings, were a growing drag on productivity.
That said, the entire AI ecosystem is still in its infancy and requires AI aptitude in every employee. According to a Microsoft report, “All employees, not just AI professionals, will require new core competencies such as rapid engineering in their day-to-day work.”
The survey results inevitably showed that 90% of Indian leaders said the employees they hire need new skills to prepare them for the AI era. However, 78% of Indian workers said they do not currently have the appropriate skills to perform the job, and both job seekers and employers It shows that you are facing challenges due to the mismatch between possible skills.
Basu emphasized the need to build an AI skills ecosystem to reduce this gap between supply and demand. “The opportunity and responsibility for all organizations and leaders is to harness AI appropriately and test and experiment with new ways of working to build a brighter future of work for all,” he said. .
Nevertheless, AI can play a big role in reskilling by providing a personalized learning experience and helping individuals acquire new skills more efficiently, Bass said. I’m here.
Referring to tools such as ChatGPT, he said, “Next-generation AI will unleash a new wave of productivity gains, taking the tedium out of our jobs and giving us the freedom to innovate and create value.” said.
This will require not only investments in AI, but also ensuring all employees have the AI aptitude they need to thrive in the new world of work, he said.
Indeed, other research in recent months has also shown the importance of employee skills to success in an AI-driven world. A report published in February 2023, the result of a joint study by Nasscom, Salesforce and Draup, a human intelligence platform, found that there is a 51% gap between demand and supply of AI/ML tech talent in India. I pointed out that it does, but it also says: A significant portion of future talent demand will be met by upskilling the existing tech workforce, with a focus on four skills that remain in persistent demand: design thinking, problem-solving skills, technology skills and communication skills. I am thinking of deaf.
The good news is that tech professionals in India are three times more likely to include data and AI skills in their resumes, indicating a higher level of adoption compared to the US, the findings said.
Meanwhile, according to a report released in October 2022 by market research firm IDC, the Indian AI market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% by 2025, reaching a value of $7.8 billion. emphasizes the need to plan for AI investments. This includes extensive and continuous upskilling and reskilling of experts in the field.
