BENGALURU: Microsoft India on Monday released new research revealing that organisations that combine deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) with skilling initiatives are generating most value from AI. Topline findings of the research underscore that mature AI firms are more confident about the return on AI and skills, a company statement said. Microsoft recently conducted the global survey with approximately 12,000 people working with enterprise companies (more than 250 employees). The research surveyed employees and leaders within large enterprises across industry verticals in India, and 19 other countries, to look at the skills needed to thrive as AI becomes increasingly adopted by businesses, as well as the key learnings from early AI adopters. Over 93 per cent of senior executives surveyed from these companies were sure their business was gaining value from AI. The research further highlights that employees from mature AI companies are eager to deepen their AI skills and reinvest freed up time to add value for the organisation.

By 2021, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will more than double the rate of innovation at organizations (x2.2 times) and employee productivity (x2.3 times) in India, according to the country's business leaders. The study by Microsoft and IDC Asia/Pacific – 'Future Ready Business: Assessing Asia Pacific's Growth Potential Through AI – surveyed 200 business leaders and 202 workers in India. The findings were released by Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India and Ranganath Sadasiva, Director, Enterprise, IDC, in the presence of Girish Nayak, Chief – Service, Operations & Technology, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. The survey – conducted with 1,560 business decision makers in mid and large-sized organizations across 15 economies in the region – highlights that while 77% of business leaders polled agreed that AI is instrumental for their organization's competitiveness, only one-third of organizations in India have embarked on their AI journeys. Those companies that have adopted AI expect it to increase their competitiveness by 2.3 times in 2021.

As the Narendra Modi government goes bullish on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, blockchain and data analytics, the daunting task ahead is to train millions of government officials so that these disruptive technologies can be optimised for the benefit of over one billion-plus people. Beyond skilling students, young coders and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies, the onus is now on tech giants to train the men in the system -- especially in the information technology (IT) departments -- and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, is set to embark on this journey. There is already a lot of talk happening within the government agencies about the success they have had after moving to cloud. "This is the right time to skill them, train them in AI-enabled Cloud computing so that India can move faster on embracing new-age technologies. We have had successful meetings with senior government leaders on this subject as AWS is already leading in skilling the students and upskilling the workforce in the country," Peter Moore, Regional Managing Director for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Global Public Sector -- APAC and Japan, told IANS.

NEW DELHI: As the Narendra Modi government goes bullish on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud computing, Blockchain and data analytics, the daunting task ahead is to train millions of government officials so that these disruptive technologies can be optimised for the benefit of over one billion-plus people. Beyond skilling students, young coders and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies, the onus is now on tech giants to train the men in the system especially in the information technology (IT) departments and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, is set to embark on this journey. There is already a lot of talk happening within the government agencies about the success they have had after moving to Cloud. "This is the right time to skill them, train them in AI-enabled Cloud computing so that India can move faster on embracing new-age technologies. We have had successful meetings with senior government leaders on this subject as AWS is already leading in skilling the students and upskilling the workforce in the country," Peter Moore, Regional Managing Director for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Global Public Sector -- APAC and Japan, told IANS.

In an attempt to revamp the education system at a primary level, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has signed partnerships with Microsoft India and IBM to focus on tech reskilling for teachers and AI curriculum in schools. In its partnership with Microsoft India, CBSE is looking to conduct capacity building programmes for high school teachers with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching and inculcating digital teaching skills in educators through curriculum as well as extra-curricular training. The programme for teachers of grades VIII to X will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting September 11. The CBSE Microsoft association is expected to provide teachers better access to the latest information and communication technology (ICT) tools and help them integrate technology into teaching and the curriculum in a smart manner. The selected 1000 teachers nominated by CBSE will be undergoing a three-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools such as OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams, Outlook, Minecraft and Paint3D.

September 05, 2019: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that it will conduct Capacity Building Programs for high school teachers in association with Microsoft India with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. Meant for teachers of grades 8-10, the program will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting September 11, 2019. AI and intelligent technologies are becoming all-pervasive today, transforming organizations across sectors and redefining the way we work. To equip the workforce of tomorrow, it is critical to the ramp up the institutional set-up and build capability among educators as well as integrate advanced technologies into the teaching process. This program will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them to integrate technology into teaching in a safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of all students.

New Delhi: Microsoft India and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have partnered to conduct capacity building programmes for high school teachers with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. Meant for teachers of grades 8-10, the programme will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting 11 September 2019. This programme will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them integrate technology into teaching in a safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of all students. The 1000 teachers nominated by CBSE will undergo a 3-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools such as OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams, Outlook & Minecraft and Paint3D Microsoft. They will also learn about digital story-telling, creation of personalized learning experiences for diverse learners, use of Teams for virtual lessons and how to leverage Artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create Bots and demystify concepts around AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) spans every major industry and is likely to dramatically transform industries. With better algorithms and large amounts of data, AI has the potential to perhaps outperform human decision-making. Performance differentials between firms on account of their proficiency with AI will also likely intensify over the coming years and will shake up most industries. "AI is a gamechanger to drive new business models and transform today's businesses and workplaces," remarks Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India. Taking a cue, the Indian School of Business (ISB) and Microsoft India have inked a new partnership to take forward their shared vision for an AI-empowered India.

HYDERABAD: Indian School of Business (ISB) and Microsoft India Friday signed two pacts to create an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Digital Lab and launch a new executive programme dealing with AI. Titled Leading Business Transformation in the Age of AI at the B-School's campus here, it will improve AI skill sets in the country. ISB expects to see about 1,000 corporate executives undergoing the three-day non-technical programme in the next three to four years. Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India, said AI was a game changer to drive new business models and transform today's businesses and workplaces. "With this coming together of ISB and Microsoft, it is a unique opportunity to increase the innovation with AI in businesses. Our new partnership with ISB will empower business leaders to increase their tech intensity and do more with AI," Maheshwari said.

Tech giant Microsoft and the Indian School of Business (ISB) on Friday announced that they have partnered to create an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Digital Lab, wherein the two organisations will collaborate in research. The research will use AI and Machine Learning (ML) to study relevant issues for business and public policy. In addition, they will introduce a new executive programme titled Leading Business Transformation in the Age of AI in October, which will equip business leaders with tools and strategies to transform their respective organisations into AI-driven organisations. The three-day non-technical programme is done under the purview of Microsoft's online AI Business School, which provides executive-level insights and practical and actionable guidance to build an end-to-end AI strategy. It will focus on managing the impact of AI on company strategy, culture and responsibility.