Accenture India MD Saurabh Sahu says AI can cause wars!

At the India Today Conclave Mumbai chapter, the India managing director of Accenture and an artificial intelligence (AI) expert, Saurabh Kumar Sahu, said AI has become a game changer today. Initially labelled as a gimmick by many, AI has proved its worth. “AI has travelled a good journey from being perceived as a gimmick, to being established as a game changer,” Sahu said elaborating that the core of AI technology is to make life easier and enhance human productivity. 

Is AI a threat to job seekers?

When asked if AI is a threat and can replace human jobs, the AI expert claimed jobs would be created as a result of the application of this new technology. He remarked that earlier many people objected to calculators and computers but now those technologies have become a part of everyday lives.

Similarly, AI will transform human lives. It will create jobs that were not present in the earlier decades. According to him, AI is a multiplier of human productivity and not a replacement for it. 

Sahu further added that at the end of the day, how intelligent or great a machine is it will need a strong human mind to operate. So, machines cannot replace humans. However, in this day and age job seekers should upskill themselves by learning the proper application of artificial intelligence. Mostly, there is a huge gap between the new jobs created and the skills needed to do those jobs. The AI expert also remarked that a strong collaboration between governments, private institutes, and educational institutions is needed to support the large ecosystem in creating the requisite manpower.

Why do people need proper education about AI?

The interviewer mentioned that even in San Fransisco which is called the tech capital of the world with streets full of driverless cabs, the public is not quite happy with the automation. To which Sahu responded that people would have to be educated to understand how to interact with technology. If the general citizens of San Fransisco were intimated with how the driverless cabs are reducing traffic congestion they would have understood and not scratched those cars as reported. 

The future of India with AI

The Accenture Executive stressed that with the flourishing of this new technology, people will have to learn the pros and cons of it. Only then they would be able to acknowledge its significance and accept it. He went on to say that acknowledgement and acceptance of a new technology is the first step towards adopting it. Mentioning the 10,000 Crores India AI Mission Sahu said he is confident about India’s promising future with the help of AI. With the India AI mission, the country will set up one of the largest AI infrastructures in the world. 

Can AI create wars?

While concluding the discussion, Sahu warned about the negative aspects of AI as well. He said the time has come to set up a United Nations AI council. At the moment, we are at a juncture where there could be wars based on technology. Therefore, we need to arrest the human ambition and potential in terms of the right usage of AI.

The AI expert suggested incorporating three human virtues to keep up on the right side of the human revolution. These virtues would be being ethical, responsible and proactive in using AI for the right applications. If these three values fall in place, Sahu claimed AI would be synonymous with ‘Atmanirbhar India’ in the country. 

Read also: Stop working like a political party, Nitin Gadkari slams IRC (startuppedia.in)