COVID-19 crisis has accelerated importance of AI, hybrid cloud: IBM CEO

Digital transformation using artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud has accelerated amid the COVID-19 pandemic and these new technologies can play an important role in helping companies gain competitive advantage, IBM Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said on Tuesday. Speaking during a keynote at the IBM's Think Digital 2020 conference, Krishna, who took charge last month, said the pace of adoption of transformation journeys by enterprises has been "compacted" into months. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised on the "critical importance of technology solutions that enable speed, flexibility, insight and innovation". "They determine how quickly you can pivot to new market opportunities, how well you serve your clients, how much you can scale. And how fast you can respond to a crisis, like the one we are facing today," he said.