THE TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEW
“ In an enterprise context, this could revolutionise marketing, customer support and administrative functions. Employees will eventually have multiple agents assisting them with repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-order work.
“ The goal of agentic AI is not to replace human decision-making, but to automate the execution of complex workflows.”
Change management and workforce trust Perhaps the most significant challenge in the adoption of any new technology is the human element. The speed of AI deployment can amplify failure if employees do not trust the systems or fear for their job security.
Workforce confidence is frequently underestimated in AI budgets, yet it is arguably the most critical component of a successful rollout. If employees perceive AI as a threat rather than a tool, resistance is inevitable.
“ If you don’ t adequately invest in training, then you will create uncertainty for employees,” Vijay warns.“ They’ re just going to reject the technology because they won’ t want to lose their jobs – they won’ t use the tech if they think it’ s taking their job.”
Instead, Vijay advocates for firms to build trust, which begins with responsible AI practices. Systems must be tested for bias, fairness and accuracy using real-world data to ensure they perform as expected.
Furthermore, organisations must establish clear frameworks for when things go wrong. A cross-functional team, supported by robust AI management systems, should be in place to handle unexpected outcomes or performance issues.“ The next part is about what to my role,” Vijay notes.“ When a new system comes in, if you’ re not educating people enough and making sure they understand what happens to their role, how are they supposed to do new ways of working?”
Many organisations lack the inherent capability to manage this level of cultural and operational change. Consequently, partnering with firms that specialise in both the technological implementation and the human-centric change management aspect is essential.
“ You can build partnerships or work with companies that can help you with the change management, can help you with the technology and work with the firms that have those abilities,” Vijay says.
The successful integration of AI is not merely a technical challenge – it is a journey that requires careful planning, a focus on tangible outcomes, and, above all, the active participation and confidence of the workforce.
“ I think the change management is underestimated because when you get into actual implementation, you don’ t plan for it, then you will see all this resistance of some sort coming up and that’ s really a challenge.”
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