Tag: IBM

  • AI’s disruptive power hits tech industry: Job cuts and demand for AI experts

    AI’s disruptive power hits tech industry: Job cuts and demand for AI experts

    The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked concerns about job displacement in the future. However, it is already having an impact in the tech industry, where employees once seemed secure in their positions. 

    A growing number of tech companies are attributing layoffs and reevaluations of new hires to AI advancements happening right in Silicon Valley.

    For example, Chegg, an education technology company, recently announced in a regulatory filing that it would be cutting 4 per cent of its workforce, around 80 employees. The reason given was to align the company with its AI strategy and create sustainable value for students and investors.

    IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, stated in a May interview with Bloomberg that the company plans to pause hiring for roles that could be potentially replaced by AI in the future. However, in a subsequent interview with Barrons, Krishna clarified that his comments were taken out of context, emphasising that AI will generate more jobs than it eliminates.

    In late April, Dropbox, a file-storage service, revealed that it would be reducing its workforce by approximately 16 per cent, or 500 employees, also citing AI as a factor. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that in May alone, 3,900 individuals were laid off due to AI, marking the first time job cuts were specifically attributed to this factor. All of these layoffs occurred within the tech sector.

    These developments in Silicon Valley not only demonstrate its leadership in AI development but also provide insight into how businesses might adapt to these tools. Rather than rendering entire skill sets obsolete overnight, AI is currently compelling companies to redirect resources to maximize its potential. Consequently, workers with AI expertise are in high demand.

    Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, in a note announcing the job cuts, acknowledged that AI has captured people’s imagination and expanded the market for AI-powered products. He highlighted the need for a different skill set, particularly in AI and early-stage product development, for the company’s future growth.

    Dan Wang, a professor at Columbia Business School, believes AI will lead to organizational restructuring but does not foresee machines entirely replacing humans just yet. He suggests that AI enhances human work rather than replaces it. Wang argues that the real competition lies in human specialists who can effectively leverage AI tools.

    Overall, the influence of AI is already evident in the tech industry, prompting companies to adapt their strategies and prioritize workers with AI expertise, rather than causing immediate job obsolescence.

  • Elon Musk praises Indian talent as Indian takes over Twitter

    Elon Musk praises Indian talent as Indian takes over Twitter

    Billionaire Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla Motors, took to Twitter to share his admiration for the Indian talent that contributed to America’s economy as Jack Dorsey (CEO) of Twitter stepped down and announced his successor, Indian Parag Agrawal.

    Last night, Dorsey announced his resignation on Twitter and confirmed that his replacement was Indian-born Parag Agrawal. Dorsey will remain a member of the board until his term expires in May 2022 and assist Parag with the transition.

    A 37-year-old immigrant from India, Agrawal joined Twitter in 2011 as a Software Engineer and was later promoted to Chief Technical Officer (CTO) in 2017. While working as CTO, he worked as in-charge of strategy involving Artificial Intelligence, reports CNBC.

    A colleague of Agrawal, Chklovski, who worked with him from 2012 to 2014 said, “Parag is phenomenal, understands the problems, stays up late to get it done, mentors others — he’s the whole package.”

    Yoel Roth who is Twitter’s head of site integrity, tweeted, “Parag was one of the first engineers I worked with when I started at Twitter (when we were first working on timeline ranking). The rigor he brings to every decision was clear then, and I’m delighted to see it recognized today.”

    https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1465360091348041731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1465360091348041731%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2021%2F11%2F29%2Ftwitter-ceo-parag-agrawal-key-to-dorseys-plans-to-revamp-social-media.html

    Apart from Twitter, five giant companies Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Palo Alto Networks have been headed currently by Indian-origin immigrants.

  • IBM to launch Open P-TECH in Pakistan for Youth’s capacity building

    IBM to launch Open P-TECH in Pakistan for Youth’s capacity building

    IBM is launching Open P-TECH in Pakistan to help develop talent and equip them with technical and professional proficiency in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud, etc to enabling our workforce, Tania Aidrus has tweeted.

    Open P-TECH was launched by the American tech giant, IBM and it aims to equip people of different countries with skills in tech-related fields like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cyber Security, Design Thinking, and Professional Skills.

    “The P-TECH offers industry-recognised tools and digital badges on emerging technologies and professional competencies that are in demand across industries,” says the P-TECH website.

    The platform will help students across Pakistan in obtaining much-needed exposure, knowledge and skills before they enter the job market.

    Students will be able to showcase their skills and gain e-badges and the likes, attracting potential employers and selection committees at universities.

    Teachers will also have access to projects and lesson plans for their students, making it easier for them to teach as well as equipping them with many technical and professional skills.

    “Open P-TECH is a great place to start your career exploration and begin building skills that will help you become well-positioned for a fulfilling career!”

  • Coursera to give 3,800 free courses to unemployed people

    Coursera to give 3,800 free courses to unemployed people

    Coursera — an online learning platform — will be making 3,800 courses free for people who have lost their jobs due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent global economic crisis, a private media outlet reported.

    “We are proud to announce Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative to help governments worldwide provide unemployed workers with free access to 3,800 online courses,” a statement read.

    The objective of the initiative is to support affected workers in developing knowledge and skills to get employed again.

    These free courses are covering skills like business development, information technology (IT) and data science skills, and they are taught by the world’s leading universities, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Duke University, University of Michigan and Yale among others.

    Courses on professional certifications like Google IT support, IBM Data Science, or Date Engineering with Google Cloud are also available to train people for high-demand jobs.

    This step towards public and private sector partnerships is imperative, and various government leaders have made the initiative available to their respective states and countries.

    Earlier, Google and YouTube also launched new resource pages to help teachers and families continue to educate students under quarantine.

    Coursera works with universities and other organisations to offer online courses, specialisations and degrees in a variety of subjects, such as engineering, data science, machine learning, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences and others.

    Coursera was founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller.

    Princeton, Stanford, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania were the first ones to offer content on the platform.

    Offerings have since expanded to include specialisations — collections of courses that build skills in a specific subject — as well as degrees and a workforce development product for businesses and government organisations.