Digitalization is affecting more and more businesses, and fashion is no exception. Penjana Kapital Sdn Bhd and Sea Limited (Malaysia) recently worked together to put on Tech in Fashion, an event that showcased fashion-tech innovations.
Penjana CEO, Taufiq Iskandar, addressing the crowd at Tech in Fashion
Textile waste poses a big problem for the environment because old clothes end up in landfills. It is one of the problems that the fashion industry must wrestle with. However, the use of cutting-edge technology is changing the way people buy clothes and making it more environmentally friendly. Four businesses were chosen to show off their new ideas, which included making eco-friendly fabrics, improving the local textile ecosystem, and making affordable clothes for everyday use.
At the showcase, Kloth Circularity Malaysia, Nanotextile Sdn Bhd, Kualesa,andOxwhite showed off how technology has helped them adapt to the times and stay successful. They also showcased sustainable practices during the “Pitch to Runway” workshop.
From left: Founders from Oxwhite, CK Chang; Kloth Circularity, Sarah Kedah; Nanotextile, Thomas Ong; & Kualesa, Haris Kamal.
When it comes to tackling waste, Sarah Kedah, Co-Founder of Kloth Circularity Malaysia, talked about how green technology can revolutionize the textile business. Kloth Circularity Malaysia turned old plastic bottles into valuable raw materials that can be used to make new clothes. By doing this, they have effectively made Kloth Circularity a part of the circular economy by creating a cycle of sustainability that will not only lessen waste but help with the economy as well.
With Generative AI (Gen AI) taking centre stage, it comes as no surprise that some companies have incorporated it into their workflows. Haris Kamal, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, said that Kualesa is using Gen AI and large language models (LLM) to improve marketing efficiency and automate predictive personalised email processes to increase conversion rates.
Entrepreneurs in the fashion industry can do well in this changing world by adopting digitalization, technology, and new ideas. As a tech company and e-commerce enabler, Sea is dedicated to helping sellers on its subsidiary Shopee’s platform. It is widely accepted that buying behaviours are rapidly changing and it is no different for textiles and fashion.
The landscape of work is evolving rapidly, and technology is at the forefront of this transformation. To navigate the complexities of hybrid work, VMware has unveiled a series of innovative AI integrations within its Anywhere Workspace platform, an integral part of the VMware Cross-Cloud services portfolio. These integrations leverage the power of data, intelligence, and automation to enhance employee experience, bolster vulnerability management, and streamline application lifecycle management. In essence, VMware Anywhere Workspace is designed to provide a seamless and secure workspace accessible from any device or location.
A Holistic Approach to Enhancing Employee Experience
VMware is a pioneer in harnessing data and automation to elevate the employee and IT experience. The latest enhancements include Insights and Playbooks that utilize expanded data sources and advanced machine learning algorithms to enhance the Digital Employee Experience (DEX). This broader access to data strengthens VMware Insights and enables more effective issue remediation.
One noteworthy addition is app performance scores, supplementing the existing experience scores for mobile devices, desktops, and virtual environments. This means that if a SaaS app experiences downtime, IT is immediately alerted, and employees are automatically informed, eliminating the need for cumbersome support tickets.
But it’s not just about providing more data to IT; it’s about empowering them to work smarter. VMware’s AI-driven Insights now incorporate anomaly detection, identifying potential experience issues for frontline devices and VDI environments, in addition to mobile and desktop setups. This latest announcement introduces Playbooks, enabling IT to create step-by-step remediation workflows for efficient incident resolution. Success rate analytics automate the resolution process over time.
George March, Manager of Digital Workspace and Development at USA Health, praised Workspace ONE intelligence for streamlining lifecycle management and enhancing security. Their roadmap includes implementing the ITSM connector, and with the addition of remediation playbooks, they anticipate further streamlining their help desk support teams’ workflows.
Partnering for Security and Manageability
End-to-end manageability and security for distributed workforces are paramount. VMware recognizes the importance of collaboration with best-of-breed partners to achieve these goals. To this end, VMware has expanded its partnership with Intel to create a cloud-native integration of Workspace ONE with Intel vPro®. This integration enables secure and remote device management directly from the cloud, eliminating the need for additional on-premises infrastructure and management software.
With this integration, IT teams gain below-the-OS vulnerability insights for vPro-powered devices, enhancing security. It also provides centralized visibility into these devices, accelerating patch remediation cycles for devices beyond office perimeters, even when they are powered off. This results in improved security and compliance, with higher patch saturation and minimal disruption to employee productivity.
Simplifying Virtual Environments with Modern App Management
Managing and delivering applications across various virtual environments has grown increasingly complex. Silos of legacy tools have compounded inefficiencies. VMware has introduced Apps on Demand, powered by VMware App Volumes, to address this challenge. It unifies app management and intelligently deploys apps to published app hosts or non-persistent desktop environments based on real-time app usage.
Moreover, VMware is expanding App Volumes support to deliver apps on demand to persistent virtual desktops. This automation of app delivery streamlines processes with remarkable compatibility and cost savings. VMware App Volumes is the only solution capable of delivering and managing apps across multiple virtual desktop and app deployments.
Boeing’s Remarkable Hybrid Work Transformation
Boeing, a global leader in aerospace, leverages VMware Workspace ONE to support its extensive global workforce. Comprising 140,000 employees across the globe, Boeing’s workforce plays a crucial role in developing, manufacturing, and servicing aerospace and defence products.
Recognized as a ‘Hybrid Workforce Innovator,’ Boeing has utilized VMware Anywhere Workspace to enable its employees to work from anywhere globally. This transformation has not only improved the user experience but has also fortified security for devices and applications.
Kristina Ross, Boeing Workplace Solutions Director for Research & Technology, emphasized that Workspace ONE has streamlined their transition to modern management, enhanced scalability, and shifted their focus from infrastructure to business-facing solutions.
Atomicwork, a startup focused on improving the employee experience at work, has emerged from stealth mode with an $11 million seed funding round. Blume Ventures and Matrix Partners spearheaded the funding round, backed by Storm Ventures, Neon Fund, and notable angel investors.
For those who are not familiar with the startup scene, ‘stealth mode’ means that a startup company is launched with a certain level of confidentiality. Certain information about the business or products are usually kept confidential from competitors.
Leverages AI to enhance employee experience
In a world where remote and office work coexist, Atomicwork deploys artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline employee interactions with various daily tools. The platform seamlessly integrates with platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams. It also utilise conversational intelligence to automate support, service delivery, and operations on a large scale.
Atomicwork’s AI assistant, Atom, uses company processes and shared knowledge to help employees without human intervention. It aims to make things smoother for both employees and companies.
During their stealth phase, the Atomicwork team conducted a survey of leaders from mid-market businesses and large corporations. They found that 80% of the bosses were dissatisfied with their company’s worker experience. This has negatively impacting employee morale and productivity.
According to Atomicwork, this aligns with the 2022 industry studies from Willis Towers Watson (also known as WTW). The WTW study reveals that 92% of employers across sectors expressed intentions to invest in their employee experience over the next 3 years.
Aims to improve efficiency and productivity
Vijay Rayapati, CEO and Co-Founder of Atomicwork, highlighted that the company wants to help businesses provide a better employee experience with efficiency. Businesses can shift from just supporting employees to making them successful, aligning their productivity with business goals.
Founded in September 2022 by Vijay Rayapati, Kiran Darisi, and Parsuram Vijayasankar, Atomicwork boasts a team with a strong track record in the tech industry. Vijay, a SaaS veteran, previously led Minjar before its acquisition by Nutanix. On the other hand, Kiran and Parsuram played pivotal roles in taking Freshworks from startup to a publicly traded company in just over a decade.
This article is contributed by Varinderjit Singh, General Manager, Lenovo Malaysia
Today, integrating forward-thinking technology is not an option, but a key business strategy that touches nearly every part of a growing business. Not only do customers expect customized on-demand services, but employees do too.
According to recent research, nearly half (48.6%) of workers think using the right tech increases their productivity, and 35.8% say being equipped with appropriate technology helps make their job more flexible. Businesses small and large that want to take team creativity and productivity to the next level must leverage technology that can drive faster results and adapt to new trends in the market. It is imperative that enterprises harness modern technology such as mobile apps, AI-enabled services, and cloud automation as tools for their teams to help simplify or automate time-consuming day-to-day activities so they can focus on more challenging work.
Taking your team to the next level in our increasingly digitally driven world will require businesses to find a balance between implementing emerging tech for tasks that can be automated, and training their employees on how to provide personalized experiences for their clientele.
Here are the top three emerging technologies all business owners should have on their radar to scale their business efficiently.
Hi-speed Network Infrastructure
Slow and unstable connectivity is a major obstacle for a distributed workforce that is reliant on their PCs’ efficient technology to lead collaborative brainstorms, listen and engage during monthly planning meetings, and/or connect with team members during 1:1 meetings. Wifi 6E offers an advanced band connection needed for optimized work-from-home, online learning, live streaming, and faster speed for all your connected devices. Emerging technologies like Wifi 6E will be instrumental in delivering high bandwidth, ultra-low latency connectivity and power to devices all over the world and will expand the landscape of solutions for businesses that want to grow.
While devices must be faster and more functional, it is imperative that design and engineering teams also offer new possibilities of thinner and more flexible designs for employees on the go. For example, global PC manufacturers are designing unique laptops with extended battery life that allows you to work through the day uninterrupted—even with versatile usage modes on the go. The LenovoThinkPad X1 Carbon operating on Windows 11 Pro is a great laptop for employees, especially in the hybrid working world. Windows 11 is the most secure Windows ever. Businesses report a 58% drop in security incidents with Windows 11 Pro devices.1 Forward-thinking technology equipped with always-on always-connected capability will be key for business continuity.
Cloud Automation
Cloud automation is an easy entry point for many businesses that are looking to expedite their processes through tech-enabled automation. As data, apps and workloads shift to the cloud, it can improve day-to-day operations and workflow, helping small-to-medium business (SMB) owners in particular automate tasks such as scheduling appointments, content marketing management and tracking business expenses in one place. By freeing up some time with the help of automation solutions, leaders can help their team build skills to become more productive through various training programs or employee enrichment opportunities. These are a few examples of how digital transformation can be harnessed to enable businesses of all sizes to achieve efficiency, productivity and smart collaboration.
By automating certain tasks, business owners will provide employees with more time to deliver thoughtful and creative work. However, the prospect of automation can create uncertainty, both regarding job security and changes to day-to-day tasks. To reduce these fears, it is essential to communicate with employees throughout the entire process. The main message to reinforce is, “Automation technology is being used to support staff, not replace their roles.” Through open communication and continuous learning, employees will be given plenty of enrichment opportunities and stay loyal and engaged in their work and their companies long-term success.
AI-Enabled Services and Products
AI-enabled services are now in our homes, cars and personal computing technology, and they can also play a role in helping businesses address common challenges such as staffing, security monitoring, finance management, personalization of services, and more.
Some workplaces have incorporated AI chatbots to provide employees with resources around the clock, adding convenience for those seeking answers to common questions about employee benefits, scheduling, insurance, vacation availability and sick time. In turn, by allowing some HR processes to be accomplished without human intervention, chatbots offer a better allocation of HR staff members’ time toward addressing more complex employee concerns.
In fact, companies that smartly adapt to incorporating AI-enabled services and products have a competitive advantage. AI and machine learning can enable targeted data analysis, so employees can do creative and social tasks that AI simply cannot. Not only can companies save money by using AI to do repetitive work, but teams are able to focus their skills on more innovative assignments and, therefore, be more productive.
Uplevel your business by being adaptable and strategic
To take your team and company to the next level, businesses must strategically implement the proper infrastructure, cloud automation and AI tools that will help their business scale. Today, businesses of all sizes require client and data center infrastructure that enables growth rather than restricts it. As technology rapidly evolves, businesses need the ability to integrate new technologies and workloads efficiently and seamlessly, often within resource, budget and capital restrictions. The best way to ensure your plan is suited for growth is to routinely check in with your team, evaluate your structure and ensure it is adaptable for the unforeseeable obstacles that come with running a successful business.
VMware Inc. and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) are expanding their strategic partnership. Their mission? To ready the multitude of enterprises dependent on VMware’s cloud infrastructure for the imminent generative AI era.
Generative AI, the driving force behind intelligent chatbots, assistants, search engines, and summarization tools, is revolutionizing industries. VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA is designed to democratize this transformation. It offers an integrated solution, seamlessly combining generative AI software with NVIDIA’s advanced accelerated computing, all within VMware Cloud Foundation, optimized for AI applications.
The synergy between generative AI and multi-cloud environments is profound. Enterprise data resides in various locations, including data centres, edge devices, and diverse cloud platforms. VMware and NVIDIA aim to empower enterprises to harness generative AI while preserving data privacy, ensuring security, and retaining control.
Enterprises are in a race to implement generative AI, with the potential to contribute up to a staggering $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy. VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA is stepping in to empower them to expedite this journey. It enables enterprises to customize large language models (LLMs), construct secure and private models for internal use, offer generative AI as a service, and scale inference workloads securely.
With emerging concerns surrounding data privacy and security with deploying Generative AI tools like ChatGPT at an organisational level, VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA empowers organizations to use the full capabilities of Generative AI without the worry of data leaks. Enterprises can deploy AI services close to their data, safeguarding data privacy and ensuring secure access.
It also provides them with diverse options for constructing and running models, including leading OEM hardware configurations without ruling out the potential integration with public clouds. This choice doesn’t come at the expense of performance with NVIDIA’s accelerated infrastructure. It promises performance equal to or even surpassing bare-metal solutions.
When enterprises are ready to scale, they can do so seamlessly and without much hassle. GPU scaling optimizations in virtualized environments facilitate the efficient scaling of AI workloads across multiple nodes. Scaling and implementation costs can also be minimized through VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA. This is thanks to resource optimization and a shared resource environment fostered by the platform. In fact, the platform is built with fast prototyping capabilities with pre-installed frameworks and libraries allowing enterprises to fail quickly and achieve development milestones at an accelerated rate.
Aside from this, the platform will be deployed on performance-optimized NVMe storage and GPUDirect® storage over RDMA for seamless data transfer. Networking performance is also sustained and accelerated with deep integration between vSphere and NVIDIA NVSwitch™ technology ensuring efficient multi-GPU execution.
The platform integrates NVIDIA NeMo, a cloud-native framework simplifying the creation, customization, and deployment of generative AI models. NeMo offers customization frameworks, guardrail toolkits, data curation tools, and pre-trained models. It provides enterprises with an efficient, cost-effective, and expeditious path to adopting generative AI. For production deployment, NeMo leverages TensorRT for Large Language Models (TRT-LLM), optimizing inference performance on the latest LLMs on NVIDIA GPUs.
VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA receives robust support from Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Lenovo. These partners will offer systems equipped with NVIDIA L40S GPUs, NVIDIA BlueField®-3 DPUs, and NVIDIA ConnectX®-7 SmartNICs. These components will supercharge enterprise LLM customization and inference workloads.
VMware aims to release VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA in early 2024, marking the continuation of a decade-long partnership that has optimized VMware’s cloud infrastructure to run NVIDIA AI Enterprise with the performance of bare metal.
Alibaba Cloud has recently introduced two open-source large vision language models: the Qwen-VL and the Qwen-VL-Chat. These models are designed to understand both images and text, making them versatile tools for various tasks in both English and Chinese.
Qwen-VL understands images and texts
The Qwen-VL is an extension of Alibaba Cloud’s own AI Chatbot, Tongyi Qianwen and is capable of comprehending image inputs and text prompts. It works like a smart assistant that can look at pictures and answer open-ended questions about them.
Alibaba Cloud stated Qwen-VL is capable of handling higher-resolution image inputs compared to other open-source models. It can also engage in various visual language tasks, including captioning, question answering, and object detection in pictures.
Qwen-VL-Chat can perform creative tasks
On the other hand, Qwen-VL-Chat takes things a step further by enabling complex interactions. It can perform creative tasks like writing poetry and stories based on input images, summarising the content of multiple pictures, and solving math problems displayed in images.
According to benchmark tests conducted by Alibaba Cloud, Qwen-VL-Chat excels in text-image dialogue and able to answer questions in both Chinese and English
Both open-source models are accessible globally
This is exciting news to the world because Alibaba Cloud is sharing these models with researchers and academic institutions worldwide. Alibaba Cloud made the code, weights, and documentation available for free.
This means more people can use these models for various tasks. Companies with over 100 million monthly active users can also request a licence for commercial use.
These models have the potential to change how we interact with images online. For example, they could assist visually impaired individuals with online shopping by describing products in images.
For more detailed information, you can read the full story on Alizila and find additional details about Qwen-VL and Qwen-VL-Chat on ModelScope, HuggingFace, and GitHub pages. The research paper detailing the model is also available here.
There’s no denying that businesses that fail to engage with their customers are doomed to stagnate and eventually die. As a matter of fact, Meta reports that over 1B people are regularly engaging with businesses on Meta platforms. This number isn’t industry specific either, it covers over 55% of every industry.
Source: Meta Malaysia
Meta continues to innovate on its platforms to allow businesses to leverage them to drive business objectives. Platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook continue to be some of the most valuable touchpoints for businesses as it brings a mix of familiarity and proximity to both sides. It also allows businesses to leverage these aspects to build a persona and personality to better relate to its target audience. Recognising these factors, Meta has continually been innovating to allow businesses to leverage its platforms and the latest in technologies that complement them.
Leveraging AI to Ensure Platform Safety and Innovate to Empower Businesses
The latest to join the suite of tools is Artificial Intelligence. That’s not to say that Meta hasn’t used AI before. In fact, Facebook integrated AI into its timeline back in 2006. However, with the surge in interest when it comes to Generative AI, it is quickly becoming more apparent that we are indeed in AI 2.0.
Source: Meta Malaysia
Using the new advances in AI technology, Meta has quickly adapted to address newer trends and incorporate these advances to drive better results with less data. This also comes in the wake of a growing number of regions and countries clamping down on data privacy and security. The incorporation of Machine Learning algorithms and newer AI 2.0 advancements have led to 82% of hate speech being removed through automated means on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Meta is also implementing new algorithms that are created to use less data to deliver comparable or better results for businesses. To date, these algorithms have delivered a 20% increase in conversions for businesses leveraging them. With these algorithm’s working in the background, it falls to businesses to leverage them to drive business outcomes.
Business Messaging & Continuing the Customer Journey on Meta Platforms
As AI continues to become a deeply integrated factor for business continuity, we have to know and use the tools – paid or otherwise – that will not only allow for better outcomes but also help create a better customer experience.
Source: Meta Malaysia
Meta’s Business Suite and Ads Manager are continually being updated with tools that integrate AI technology to drive better business outcomes. One such tool is Meta’s Creative+ option which appears when you post content to your page. This feature allows you to test up to 4 different creatives to determine which delivers the best results.
Using features like this, businesses are able to extend their reach while keeping costs down. It also allows businesses to leverage the familiarity of the platforms to drive customer loyalty through business messaging. This comes in addition to AI-assisted product discovery with more broadly, AI-determined audiences for better conversions. AI-assisted determination also can help leverage behavioural data to optimise touchpoints based on customer behaviour.
This data can also be used to create chatbots that allow businesses to interact with customers more effectively. These chatbots can be built to suit the unique needs of businesses while still allowing for the flexibility for humans to jump in at any time.
Understanding Trends and Leveraging Them
One of the most important things to pay attention to is the trends that are emerging and continually shifting. These trends play a significant role in determining the combination of tools that will fit business needs. More importantly, it will also help determine the best approach for success on Meta’s platforms.
Meta shared a study on McDonald’s Malaysia leveraged the fact that there is an increasing number of users spending more time-consuming video content on Facebook and Instagram to be the driving force behind their recruitment campaign. Using reels available on Facebook and Instagram, the company was able to communicate the experience of being an employee at a McDonald’s outlet. Of course, the reels produced naturally embellished the experience with some fictional elements to generate interest and convey the business’s policies. This cornerstone content allowed McDonald’s to communicate directly to their target audience – Gen Z.
This falls in line with Meta’s own data which shows that more than 50% of time spent on Facebook and Instagram is spent consuming video content. This includes long-form videos, reels and even stories. In fact, reels may be the best touch point with over 200 Billion plays per day.
Meta’s Just Getting Started with AI 2.0 and Businesses Need to Start Leveraging It Now
It’s only the tip of the iceberg of how AI 2.0 will be impacting our world when it comes to creating consumer journeys, continuing Business Messaging and even creating content. Meta has already announced AI efforts like LLaMA which will no doubt factor into new tools that will come to its platforms in the future.
This will also entail businesses needing to deal with scams head-on hand in hand with regulators and companies like Meta. Meta is already working on identity verifications which will be more widely available to users as the year progresses. However, the company has yet to announce the same verification measures for businesses but we have it on good authority that it will be coming soon.
After successfully securing RM2.25 million through equity crowdfunding, Vimigo has revealed its new plans to develop an AI-powered HR mobile app and expand across the Asian market. In Malaysia, the company is known for its human resource (HR) performance reward system for startups.
With the funds raised, Vimigo plans to develop an AI-powered HR mobile app. This app will leverage AI to suggest SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound) goals for each employee’s key performance metrics.
The app will also incorporate a gamified performance rewards system, which aims to create tangible progression milestones to motivate employees in a similar way to levelling up in a game. The app is expected to be released on iOS, Android, and web by the end of 2023.
In addition to app development, the company has set its sights on market expansion to several Asian countries, including Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam by 2025.
Alibaba Cloud has introduced its latest AI image generation model, Tongyi Wanxiang (‘Wanxiang’ means ‘tens of thousands of images’). This model is designed to help businesses improve their creativity by generating high-quality images across different art styles.
Text-to-image generation
The company states that Tongyi Wanxiang is able to generate detailed images in response to text prompts in both Chinese and English. This includes watercolours, oil paintings, sketches, animations, and more. Additionally, It can also transform existing images into new ones with similar styles and apply style transfers to create visually appealing compositions..
Tongyi Wanxiang is powered by Alibaba Cloud’s advanced technologies and leverages multilingual materials for enhanced training. This AI image generation model optimizes the high-resolution diffusion process to strike a balance between composition accuracy, detail sharpness, and clean backgrounds.
Alibaba Cloud developed it using Composer, the company’s proprietary large model that offers greater control over the final image output, including spatial layout and colour palette.
ModelScopeGPT Launched for Sophisticated AI Tasks
The company has also launched ModelScopeGPT, a versatile framework that utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs) to accomplish complex AI tasks across language, vision, and speech domains. ModelScopeGPT connects with an extensive array of domain-specific expert models, allowing businesses and developers to access and execute the best-suited models for sophisticated AI tasks. The platform is available for free and offers a rich Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the way we work.” This phrase is undoubtedly something that we’ve become so familiar with over the past few years. However, we’ve yet to see the impact of AI outside manufacturing and data science – that is – until now. With generative AI taking centre stage thanks to services like OpenAI’s ChatGP, that phrase couldn’t be more relevant. AI is taking the leap from automation to contextual intelligence which will benefit more people across more industries.
In the time since the pandemic, we’ve seen a revolution in the digitization of work. A large portion of workers – like ourselves – are still finding themselves working remotely to be more productive and reduce time wasted in commutes. In fact, Microsoft’s 2021 and 2022 Work Trend Index drew sharp focus on the subject. This year, the conversation is turning towards Generative AI and its role in leapfrogging work to the next level.
A Digital Leap with A Heavy Digital Debt
Speaking of the digitization of work, the recent digital leap – while a long time coming – has resulted in workers accumulating digital debt. What exactly is this? It’s that backlog of emails, that information dump, the work chats and even those meetings and their minutes that continue to pile up even as we work through them. While the digital leap we just experienced has been amazing for work and interpersonal communication, we’re finding it harder to cope with the sheer volume of information and communication we generate.
In fact, Microsoft’s Work Trend Index found that 2 full work days are spent simply dealing with emails and inefficient meetings. This is exacerbated by the fact that we’re in 3 times more meetings at work since the pandemic. Leadership in organisations have also taken notice. They note that workers are spending too much time with their noses to the grindstone and not enough time innovating. This has created an increase in productivity but a lag in results. 77% of Malaysian respondents in Microsoft’s survey noted that they don’t have enough time and energy to get work done. This isn’t surprising given that we’re dealing with a continually growing digital debt.
“As work evolves with AI, leaders and employees alike are looking at how technology can help them be more productive in their workplace. With AI, there is now an opportunity for us to reimagine the way we work and collaborate in the workplace of the future.”
AI and, in particular, generative AI like ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are part of the solution in dealing with this digital debt. They will help workers and leaders discern signals from the immense volume of noise. Relevant information can be distilled from data both internally and on the open web in seconds saving hours of work. What’s more, AI like Copilot will be able to help create effective meetings and eventually create a leap in innovation thanks to the offloading of menial tasks to these AI. In tandem with this, leaders and employees may shift to a more asynchronous form of communication allowing for more effective communications and meetings overall.
AI Isn’t Here to Replace, It’s Here to Augment
With the increased adoption of AI in work, many of us are feeling the pinch of possibly being replaced by a soul-less tool. 62% of the respondents to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index in Malaysia share this concern. While this may be true in essence, what we will expect to see in the coming years is the integration of AI into our work to lessen repetitive work. Perhaps, this will mean that some of our job roles will change.
We’re already seeing a large portion of workers and leaders willing to offload and delegate work to AI to lessen workloads. A whopping 84% of respondents indicated such. These tasks can be administrative, analytical or even creative. Yes, while it is concerning that even creative tasks can be offloaded to AI, there’s an evolution of work that will be spurred by this which will, hopefully, spur an increase in innovative work and boost productivity. This is where most Malaysian managers find the most value in AI.
However, what will develop is an AI-employee alliance in which work is completed through a complementary pair of AI insight and employee ingenuity. This will necessitate employees and workers to have an aptitude for using AI. While it’s still early days when it comes to discerning skills that are AI-specific in the workforce, Microsoft has identified some key competencies that will be crucial for workers. 90% of leaders already anticipate this need.
A Need for AI Skills to Empower a Better Copilot
That said, employees will need to develop core competencies that will empower them to leverage AI as an integral tool for productivity. While digital skills still remain a pain point for employers, already 76% of Malaysians feel they are ill-equipped when it comes to AI skills.
The need to use and familiarise yourself with AI tools like ChatGPT cannot be overemphasized at this point. It’s no longer a question of “if” but one of “when” generative AI will make its way into your workflow. Getting to know how to prompt Generative AI tools to get the right outcome will be one of the key competencies of the AI revolution. However, it will also be crucial to understand that these AI tools are simply that – tools to get the work done. They are copilots, not autopilots when it comes to getting work done.
Source: Facebook
“There is a need for a skilled workforce to reap the benefits of AI-powered technology and solutions. Human-AI collaboration is going to be critical as we shift from AI on autopilot to AI as our copilot. The most pressing opportunity and responsibility for every leader is to understand how to leverage AI to remove the drudgery of work, unleash creativity, and build AI aptitude,”
Industry leaders like Microsoft are already incorporating AI such as GPT and DALL-E into their offerings. With the recent announcement of Windows getting Bing’s GPT-enabled assistant, it comes as no surprise that Microsoft is also integrating its aptly named ‘Copilot’ into more products. In fact, their integrations are already being tested by some 600 enterprise customers including the likes of Chevron and Goodyear. Products like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Viva will be benefiting most from this integration.
Copilot is already incorporated in products like Outlook, OneNote, Viva Learning, Whiteboard and PowerPoint. In Whiteboard, Copilot will enable more creative and effective meetings and brainstorms on Microsoft Teams. You will be able to prompt Copilot to generate and organise ideas, create designs and even summarize Whiteboard content. In OneNote, Copilot will be able to use prompts to draft plans, generate ideas, create lists and even organize information for easier reference. In apps like Outlook and Viva Learning, natural language will be used to customise learning journeys and empower better writing through tips and suggestions as well as designing learning paths for desired outcomes. PowerPoint will be getting a DALL-E infusion which will allow images to be customised to complete presentations.
As is already evident, the AI revolution is picking up steam. AI is quickly going to spur an evolution of work which will put its role in automation to shame. It will find a space nestled in the day-to-day workings of many industries. Workers like us will need to adopt, adapt and integrate generative AI in a way and at a scale that has not been seen before to accomplish more with less hassle.
