Business

Wipro Explores Hybrid Human-AI Workforce with Ema

Wipro, in partnership with Ema, is integrating agentic AI to cut HR response times from 48 hours to five seconds, boosting productivity by 98%.

A young girl playfully interacts with a humanoid robot in a futuristic indoor environment featuring soft blue lighting.

Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels

As AI agents are expected to surge in adoption by 300% over the next two years, leadership teams are rethinking the implications of a hybrid human-AI workforce. Unlike traditional automation, AI agents can autonomously coordinate complex tasks, interact with multiple tools, and adapt to various environments across an organization. Early applications in customer service, HR, and sales have already led to productivity gains of 30-50%, positioning agents as collaborators rather than mere tools. This shift is prompting a reevaluation of workplace norms, with more than three-quarters of HR leaders anticipating a complete reappraisal of roles, responsibilities, and culture. The integration of agentic AI is seen as a central component of HR leaders' roles in the coming years, requiring fluency in change management to unlock the full potential of the technology. Source: mittr

Redeploying roles to enable higher-value work is central to the shift, as AI agents assume ownership of more complex tasks. It is estimated that three-quarters of current roles will require redesign, reskilling, or redeployment by 2030. At Wipro, an agentic AI assistant co-created with Ema has reduced HR query response times from 48 hours to five seconds, allowing human employees to focus on higher-value tasks like creative problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration. The AI handles administrative duties such as sorting timesheets and guiding employees through policy actions. However, Jayaswal emphasizes the importance of human oversight, particularly when dealing with sensitive data, and calls for robust governance frameworks to ensure data privacy and accountability. Source: mittr

The adoption of AI agents is forcing a re-evaluation of human roles, with employees shifting from performing repetitive tasks to designing, teaching, and optimizing AI agents for greater efficiency. Jayaswal notes that the nature of work is changing from being the hero who solves problems to designing the hero who can do so with speed and predictability. This transformation is also reshaping the core skills of human employees, with a focus on technical capabilities and soft skills like relationship building, collaboration, and adaptability. As organizations navigate this shift, maintaining a healthy workplace culture remains a priority, with leaders needing to balance the benefits of AI with the human touch that remains essential for employee satisfaction. Source: mittr

Key points

Wipro, in partnership with Ema, is integrating agentic AI to cut HR response times from 48 hours to five seconds.
Three-quarters of current roles will require redesign, reskilling, or redeployment by 2030 due to agentic AI.
More than three-quarters of HR leaders believe the deployment of AI agents will transform existing workplace norms.
86% of chief HR officers predict navigating digital labor shaped by agentic AI will be central to their role in the years ahead.
AI agents handle rote administrative tasks like sorting timesheets or helping employees navigate policies and take actions in the flow of work.
The nature of your job changes from being the hero who comes in to solve the problem to designing the hero who can solve the problem.
Three skills are emerging as top priorities during recruitment: relationship building, collaboration, and adaptability.

Source: MIT Technology Review Read the original →

WRITTEN BY

Marcus Feld

AI Business & Markets

Marcus reports on AI funding, acquisitions, partnerships, and the business behind the technology.