Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2023 found that while 74 per cent of Indian employees are worried about AI replacing their jobs, 83 per cent would delegate as much work to it as possible, to help lessen their workloads.
The report also found that 78 per cent people in India don’t have uninterrupted focus during their workday. Moreover, 76 per cent of Indian workers say they don’t have enough time and energy to get their work done, and those people are 3.1 times more likely to say they struggled with being innovative. Within Microsoft 365, the average person spends 57 per cent of their time communicating, and only 43 per cent of their time creating.
The primary culprit disrupting productivity is inefficient meetings, as reported by 46 per cent of Indian workers who feel that their absence in half or more of their meetings would go unnoticed by colleagues.
For this to happen, the Index found that AI aptitude within organisations is a must. As many as 90 per cent of Indian leaders say employees they hire will need new skills to be prepared for the growth of AI. A staggering 78 per cent of Indian workers say they currently don’t have the right capabilities to get their work done.
“While there are many questions about how this technology will really work, there’s going to be a fusion of technology with human capability. Its moving into the era of co-pilot. Enterprise digital assistance will democratise access to data, insights and actions,” said Merlyn Mathew, head, delivery excellence and talent management, Persistent Systems, a technology services company.
Richard Lobo, executive VP and head of HR, Infosys, cautioned that in this adoption of AI one must not forget the people part.
“We have to fundamentally remember that as a rule, you first have algorithms, then you have investment in technology, and then finally people. We should never forget the people piece. At Infosys we have 350,000 people. It is finally people who will make the difference,” he added.