Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO of Salesforce South Asia, emphasized that India, with its talent pool, digital infrastructure, and entrepreneurial spirit, could significantly contribute to the global AI landscape. She stressed the importance of enhancing research and development (R&D) efforts and continuous upskilling to achieve this goal. Bhattacharya mentioned that India’s diverse needs could drive innovation in areas like multilingual AI and scalable solutions, but emphasized the necessity for increased focus on R&D and collaboration among industry, academia, and government.
In the evolving AI-centric world, Bhattacharya highlighted the significance of curiosity as a key asset, surpassing technical skills. She shared insights from her unconventional career path, underscoring the value of adaptability, learning, and curiosity in navigating the changing work landscape. Bhattacharya emphasized that the future of work revolves around embracing AI rather than just adapting to it, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning as a critical skill in the current scenario.
According to Bhattacharya, while domain expertise remains crucial, individuals must also cultivate comfort in working alongside AI, given its integration into various industries. She emphasized the growing importance of human-centric skills such as judgement, creativity, communication, and empathy, which complement AI capabilities. Bhattacharya highlighted the dynamic nature of the job market, where existing skills may become obsolete, new ones will emerge, and future job roles may not even have defined titles yet.
Reflecting on Salesforce’s approach, Bhattacharya mentioned the company’s commitment to leveraging its own technology before offering it to customers, citing significant improvements in operational efficiency through AI implementation. She also outlined Salesforce’s initiative to upskill one million individuals in AI by 2030 through collaborations with various stakeholders, including educational institutions and government bodies. Bhattacharya acknowledged the growth of Salesforce’s Hyderabad Centre of Excellence over the past decade, positioning India as the company’s second-largest R&D hub globally.
