ArtificiaI intelligence-enabled automation is today's biggest disruptor: Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka Gadgets Now

BENGALURU: Former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani once said to American journalist Thomas Friedman that the global playing field is being levelled -- a reference to the global, web-enabled playing field that had allowed countries like India to challenge developed ones in areas like software. That statement became the trigger for the title of Friedman's bestselling book'The World is Flat'. Now, the current CEO of Infosys, Vishal Sikka, is laying out a fresh thesis. He says a "far bigger" disruptive force is emerging in the IT industry "than the flat world shift from about 20 years ago" - automation, enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). "All our clients look to us for help with innovation, in bringing digital and computing technologies to their businesses' future... In all my meetings with clients, in all their communication, this is crystal clear. They no longer want engagements that deliver to a bottom line, they need to see the value, the proactive generation of innovation in their engagements with vendors. And increasingly, the need for IT innovation is outside the IT teams," he said in an email to employees ahead of the company's flagship client showcase called Confluence in San Francisco.