AI and Cloud are indisputably here to stay, pervade several parts of our daily life, and are shaping the future of work in ways humankind would not have expected just a year ago
Even a couple of years ago, remote working, especially the entire world’s workforce working from home was an unimaginable scenario. However, over the past year, our lives, both professional and personal, have changed dramatically. At the outset of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the entire world underwent one of the biggest shake-ups with the global workforce thrust into a mass remote working experiment almost overnight. With remote working, there was an increased need for robust technological infrastructure to ensure smooth workflows.
Although technologies such as AI and cloud were growing rapidly even during the pre-pandemic times with several businesses digitizing operations, the global crisis put them into hyperdrive. Today, remote working has become the norm and it’s impossible to imagine seamless remote working without these cutting-edge technologies. That said, the pandemic-induced accelerated technological adoption has radically changed the future of work. Here’s how.
The evolving face of communication
Ever since we began working remotely, communication, especially video communication, has become the cornerstone for smooth, efficient workflows. With physical meetings being ruled out, video communication has become the preferred tool for every business. Over the last year, video communication has evolved from being a supporting segment to an essential mainline industry that is enabling businesses to run seamlessly. Today, video communication integrated with technologies such as AI and Cloud facilitates a gamut of activities right from hosting internal/external meetings, collaborating and brainstorming, and closing business deals to interviews, employee onboarding, pitch presentations, and product demos, amongst others.
Moreover, AI-led analytics also keeps track of critical aspects of communication such as audio and video quality, duration of the meeting, audio/video disruptions during the meeting, call dropping, echo, etc. They also help video communication platforms garner insights on what is user-friendly and what suits the users’ requirements best, thereby helping to solve pitfalls and enhance the product quality without having to invest heavily in manpower, cost, and time. In today’s remote working world fuelled by video communication, AI and Cloud-based technologies are integral to build trust among increasingly task-oriented and categories working groups to streamline workflows.
The days when video conferencing was a standalone technology are long gone. With AI and ML integrations, video is now embedded in most workflow productivity applications. Allowing people to connect with colleagues in real-time, AI and Cloud-driven video communication results in agile decision making besides offering a lifelike interaction.
A new model of working
AI has transcended the limitations of its existence merely in the tech world with businesses across verticals incorporating it into their day-to-day operations. That said, there is no doubt that AI has been a catalyst to the new world order where remote working is the norm. Several companies including tech and social media giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter have announced that remote working will be a permanent option for employees. Even after the dust settles, it is unlikely that organizations will return to the pre-pandemic model of work for the foreseeable future. However, a hybrid model of working might be the most preferred with technology enabling seamless operations through business collaboration tools.
Final word
AI and Cloud are indisputably here to stay, pervade several parts of our daily life, and are shaping the future of work in ways humankind would not have expected just a year ago. Businesses have embraced these technologies to thrive in the increasingly competitive market and augment their offerings. In the context of work, both at present and for the foreseeable future, AI is all about eliminating mundane tasks, reducing inefficiencies, and facilitating frictionless, error-free workflows. Utilized to its fullest potential, AI can complement human abilities to fuel innovation and build products that were previously unimaginable, driving businesses to greater heights.
Source: Business World
