Regular listeners will know that I have featured HCL many times on this podcast. We have discussed the digital transformation of Man Utd, Cyber Security Fusion Centers and even spoke to them from the show floor at the Adobe Summit in Vegas. Today, Kalyan Kumar, CVP & CTO, IT Services, HCL Technologies, joins me on the podcast.

Drawing on his experience of working with more than 200 customers across Europe, including the likes of Deutsche Bank, Asda, and Anglo American amongst many others, Kalyan discusses how COVID-19 disruption has led to greater demand for AI solutions amongst global enterprises, but also why he urges businesses to remember there is no ‘plug and play’ options – careful planning is crucial.

We explore the topic of AI and sustainability: and how the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted a gap in businesses’ bottom-up approach to sustainability, leading many to turn to AI. He can give you the low-down on specific use cases – from helping chefs cut food waste in half through ‘smart bins’, to making fast fashion more sustainable through an AI and blockchain-powered platform.

We also discuss who is responsible for plugging the AI skills gap. Is the onus on enterprises to reskill staff to take their place in the augmented workforce? Should employees take their own initiative and train themselves up using MOOCs? Or are governments and universities responsible for teaching AI-related skills to employees of all ages? Kalyan shares his thoughts on how society can work together to solve the talent shortage.

Organizations are already partnering with technology leaders to identify the right upskilling, reskilling, and micro-skilling initiatives that can efficiently close these AI skills gaps. Kalyan talks through the specific steps already being taken by organizations to improve employee proficiency with software suites and develop collaborative skills in harnessing AI to optimize back-office processes.