Artificial intelligence, which has already been called by many experts as the main driving force of progress and global development at the current historical stage of human civilization existence, can change the state of affairs in the labor sector and significantly transform the commercial environment in terms of aspects such as productivity, efficiency and quality of customer service.
Javed Khan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration is one of the proponents of the mentioned point of view. He oversees the Webex product portfolio, including collaboration devices, Webex Suite, and more. During a conversation with media representatives, Javed Khan spoke about his vision of artificial intelligence as a tool that makes fundamental adjustments to work processes. He also shared his opinion on what changes and results AI will generate in the foreseeable future.
Javed Khan stated that historical observations indicate that for all technological achievements, there is always a kind of common outcome in the form of changing the previously existing experience in a positive sense. In his opinion, artificial intelligence will also develop within the framework of the corresponding pattern. In this case, AI is considered as a tool that makes fundamental changes in the processes of human life, including production and those carried out in the service sector.
Javed Khan also noted that the benefits of artificial intelligence are already being observed. In this context, he noted the effectiveness of applying AI in the workplace and beyond. Javed Khan says that artificial intelligence allows people to rethink the ways they interact and collaborate. He stated that one example of how Cisco uses advanced technology to transform the collaboration process is Cisco AI Assistant. This tool is designed to help employees save time. Cisco AI Assistant provides automatic meeting summaries and action items using generative artificial intelligence. According to Javed Khan, this solution improves the quality of employees’ work, increasing efficiency and productivity.
Mr. Khan said that the impact of artificial intelligence goes beyond internal collaboration in the workplace. In his opinion, AI will be the main factor in shaping a new customer experience. He says that using artificial intelligence in this scenario will make the mentioned experience more personalized, effective, and responsive.
Javed Khan said that the Cisco Webex contact center, equipped with AI, will help companies transform their customer service operations. This solution is expected to increase client satisfaction and improve employee productivity.
The transformation of work processes through the use of artificial intelligence is of particular importance at the current historical moment when the process of scaling the remote work format is being implemented. Nowadays, distributed teams are becoming the norm. Against this background, companies face challenges related to ensuring seamless collaboration and maintaining a sense of connection between employees. Cisco’s concept called Distance Zero is an example of how artificial intelligence can become a tool for solving the mentioned problems. This set of solutions provides for the elimination of perceived distance and barriers between in-person and remote employees.
Javed Khan says that the rules of hybrid work are radically changing within the framework of the format, which provides that all participants in a virtual meeting see each other’s faces and have the opportunity to determine the external emotional reaction to what is said during communication. Also, in this case, it is extremely important that users can hear all the conversations and have the opportunity to express their theses.
The process of spreading artificial intelligence also has certain specifics inherent in any experience of introducing advanced technologies. In this case, among other things, concerns are implied about the potential risks and problems associated with the use of AI in the workplace. In the relevant context, disturbing sentiments are also being formed regarding the fact that large-scale application of artificial intelligence will lead to a high level of automation of work processes, as a result of which many will lose their jobs. Proponents of the most alarmist point of view on this issue say that AI can become a catalyst for mass unemployment. At the same time, there is another, more optimistic opinion on the relevant issue. In this case, it implies claims that artificial intelligence will generate new opportunities and become a factor in economic growth.
Javed Khan, commenting on the mentioned potential risks and related concerns, said that Cisco uses a proactive approach to solve the relevant problems, within which the company’s employees are prepared for the changing labor market. The firm encourages the use of the latest artificial intelligence technologies in the workplace, which allows one to gain practical experience and develop skills in real conditions.
Cisco also collaborates with other companies, research institutes, and governments to drive innovation in the machine intelligence industry and shape the future in the sphere of work. One such initiative is the consortium of AI-enabled ICT workers. In this case, the goal is to find new ways to train and improve the skills of specialists in the artificial intelligence industry. The mentioned initiative is led by Cisco along with other partners in the technology sector. Javed Khan says that the consortium is focused on allowing employees to find and access training programs. Also, in this case, there is a goal to connect businesses to skilled and job-ready workers.
The results of special studies indicate that generative artificial intelligence technologies, such as OpenAI ChatGPT, can significantly increase productivity, but at the same time contain risks of disrupting the state of affairs in the labor market. Goldman Sachs experts claim that AI-based automation could affect 25% of jobs in Europe and the United States. This perspective is especially actually for legal and administrative spheres. At the same time, experts noted that in the United States and Europe, about two-thirds of jobs are more or less subject to automation. Nonetheless, it is expected that most employees will not be laid off, since, according to preliminary forecasts, AI will perform less than half of their tasks. In the United States, only 7% of the total workforce carries out such activities, which can be automated by more than 50%.
Also in the era of artificial intelligence. which has already begun and will gradually become an increasingly obvious reality, the issue of security and confidentiality is of particular importance. The improvement of AI systems is currently a process on the trajectory of the intensive dynamic. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence into the space of human daily life is scaled. Against this background, the risk of data leakage or misuse of information is growing. Cisco has developed a platform for the responsible application of artificial intelligence while paying special attention to security, privacy, and human rights issues as the main aspects of AI governance and digital product design. Javed Khan says Cisco appreciates that artificial intelligence can be used to ensure an inclusive future for everyone. He also noted that the company recognizes that by applying AI, it is responsible for mitigating potential damage and maintaining trust.
As part of his thoughts on artificial intelligence’s place in human civilization in the next decade, Javed Khan predicted that artificial intelligence would become ubiquitous. In his opinion, AI will function unnoticeably in the background to improve the quality of service for employees and customers.
Javid Khan is convinced that in ten years artificial intelligence will be used in all technologies that a person can think of. At the same time, in his opinion, the grandiose scaling of the AI application process will not be the subject of active discussions within the framework of public discourse. Javid Khan explains this vision of the future configuration of reality in its social and technological dimensions by saying that artificial intelligence will function in the background. He says that AI will improve the quality of experience for employees and customers as much as possible today.
Javed Khan also said that Cisco has embraced a shift in work patterns. Over the past three years, the company has revamped its offices located in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and Paris. In this case, spaces with zero distance were created. This means that the devices eliminate perceived distance and associated barriers between in-person and remote employees. Javed Khan says that in the past, only 30% of the company’s conference rooms were enabled with video communication, and currently 100% of all workspaces have the appropriate technology to provide an exceptional experience for everyone. In this case, in addition to conference rooms, huddle spaces, open ideation spaces, and more are meant.
Many experts say that the potential benefits of using artificial intelligence in the workplace are enormous. AI allows one to automate routine tasks and processes, as a result of which employees can focus on more creative work and implement efforts aimed at achieving strategically important goals. Artificial intelligence can also be used as a tool for fast and accurate decision-making. Moreover, the application of AI improves communication and collaboration.
Javed Khan focuses on the fact that artificial intelligence as a technology used in the workflow is not related to human replacement. According to him, AI empowers an employee and allows them to do their job in the best possible way.
Javed Khan says that in a world dominated by artificial intelligence, human interaction is more important than ever in the past. According to him, it is based on the mentioned considerations that Cisco provides companies with the opportunity for the most important interactions. In this case, places are created where technology is combined with humanity, and work is an experience, going beyond the elementary correspondence to the concept of location.
As we have reported earlier, South Korea to Host Second AI Safety Summit.
