Latest news with #TCS
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
India needs AI. But it also needs jobs. A balance must be found
Written by Balaraman Ravindran, Omir Kumar, and Krishnan Narayanan A few weeks back, two influential voices in India's economic landscape, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran, offered important and complementary perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI). Chandrasekaran, in the TCS' FY2025 annual report, described Generative AI (GenAI) as a 'civilisational shift,' with the rise of AI agents and autonomous robots ushering in a future of 'dark factories' and AI-assisted enterprise functions. He also highlighted the 'human+AI model' of delivering solutions. Meanwhile, CEA Nageswaran, speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit, issued a note of caution: AI deployment is not inevitable. He reminded the private sector that India needs to create at least 8 million jobs a year. Hence, businesses must consider where to stop automating and instead choose labour. This tension, between AI's promise of productivity and its peril for employment, is now central to India's growth trajectory. The Indian Economic Survey 2024–25 had flagged the impact of AI on labour markets as a policy imperative. As AI becomes more capable and less costly, low-value service jobs, especially in India's labour-surplus economy, become increasingly vulnerable. An IIM Ahmedabad 2024 survey found that 68 per cent of Indian white-collar workers expect their roles to be partially or fully automated within five years; 40 per cent believe AI will make their skills redundant. Clearly, India must act. But rather than resisting the AI wave, the real challenge lies in shaping it so that technology augments, rather than replaces, human potential. India needs a three-pronged institutional architecture, one that enables workers through education and skilling, insures against displacement, and stewards the broader social and economic transition. The enabling agenda is critical. In Learning by Doing, the economist James Bessen shows that technologies like the spinning mule took several decades to be fully adopted during the Industrial Revolution, not due to access issues but because it took time for workers and firms to learn how to use them effectively. What about AI? Unlike the spinning mule, AI is not a single tool. It is a fast-growing mix of powerful and diverse technologies. This increases both the challenge and the opportunity. India's skilling efforts must be agile and keep pace with this growth in AI. India should ensure that the benefits from AI do not accrue just to a narrow band of skilled workers. Instead, vocational training, on-the-job learning, and open knowledge-sharing on leveraging AI on the factory floor and across all services must be embedded into national skilling programs. At the same time, the government must insure against job losses and dislocation. Workers affected by automation need social protection, access to reskilling pathways, and incentives to transition to adjacent roles. The skilling effort cannot be limited to college education; it must also accommodate informal workers and mid-career transitions. India also needs stewarding institutions that ensure AI is deployed responsibly, transparently, and inclusively. They are tasked with identifying emerging risks, conducting foundational safety research, and setting standards. They should also research how to build effective human-AI teams, based on a deep understanding of socio-economic value, the availability of human skills, and evolving capabilities of AI. This will be essential for designing job roles and workplace structures that make the most of co-intelligence. Augmentation means AI systems assist humans, enhancing their judgement, creativity, and productivity, rather than replacing them outright. Take agriculture. Instead of replacing existing workers, AI-based agri-chatbots can empower farmers with timely advice on weather, pests, and crop management. In education, AI can help teachers identify student needs and personalise lesson plans. A study by Anthropic found that 57 per cent of tasks completed by involved human-AI collaboration, not substitution. What can enterprises do to achieve this human amplification with AI? In The Co-Intelligence Revolution, Venkat Ramaswamy and Krishnan Narayanan suggest that every organisation must: Become co-intelligent enterprises, where value is co-created between humans and AI; Reimagine their workers not as passive operators of systems but as creative experiencers (individuals who actively shape and are shaped by their interactions with intelligent technologies); Create a Co-Intelligence Knowledge Environment, where human insights, experiential feedback, and AI-driven suggestions flow dynamically to inform decisions and design. Siemens exemplifies this shift through its industrial metaverse, where engineers, designers, and shopfloor workers collaboratively engage with digital twins and AI co-pilots in a virtual simulation environment. In one compelling instance, a new factory was built entirely in the metaverse before physical construction began. Workers explored the virtual factory, offered feedback on ergonomics, workflows, and safety, and their suggestions were integrated into the final design. The actual factory space, thus, reflected their lived experiences and needs. This approach not only optimised operations but also fostered a sense of ownership, dignity, and well-being among the workers – hallmarks of a truly co-intelligent enterprise. Indian businesses should thoughtfully design co-intelligence into their environments. But markets don't always favour augmentation. Economists Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo argue that when automation becomes the dominant paradigm, innovation and investment naturally follow it, even when augmentation via co-intelligence may yield higher social benefits. One of the most important policy nudges for the Indian government would be to steer the AI solutions towards augmentation, through public-private partnerships, incentives for augmentation-based innovation, and 'human-in-the-loop-of-AI-systems' design mandates. This holds especially true for contexts where automation may have a high social impact. India can and must shape the trajectory of this emerging general-purpose technology and push the AI ecosystem in a more inclusive direction. Balaraman Ravindran is Head, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI & Centre for Responsible AI, IIT Madras. Omir Kumar is Policy Analyst, Centre for Responsible AI, IIT Madras. Krishnan Narayanan is Co-founder and President of itihaasa Research and Digital
Mint
21 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
TCS vs HCL Tech vs Wipro: Which IT stock offers a better opportunity now?
After the announcement of the financial results for the April-June quarter of the fiscal year 2025-26 (Q1FY26), major Indian information technology (IT) firms have gained significant attention in the latest market sessions. As investors on D-Street weigh their options for buying, selling, or holding IT stocks at this moment, market analysts favour Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), followed by HCL Technologies Ltd (HCL Tech), with Wipro coming in third after their latest Q1FY26 earnings report. Wipro announced on Thursday, July 17, a 9.8% increase in its consolidated profit after tax, reaching ₹ 3,336.5 crore for the June quarter. This is an increase from a profit after tax of ₹ 3,036.6 crore reported in the same quarter last year, as stated in the company's regulatory filing. The consolidated revenue from operations for Wipro rose slightly to ₹ 22,134.6 crore during the April-June period, compared to ₹ 21,963.8 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. HCL Technologies revealed on Monday, July 14, a 9.7% drop in its consolidated net profit for the June quarter, affected by rising expenses and the one-off impact of a client's insolvency. The company disclosed a net profit (attributable to the company's owners) of ₹ 4,257 crore during the same quarter last year, according to a regulatory announcement. In the reviewed quarter, revenue from operations grew by 8.1%, amounting to ₹ 30,349 crore, compared to ₹ 28,057 crore in Q1FY25. The firm reported an operating margin of 16.3%, which did not meet their expectations. While Q1 has generally been their weakest quarter, the lower-than-expected operating margin was mainly due to a decline in utilization resulting from delays in the ramp-up of a specific program. On Thursday, July 10, TCS reported a 6% growth in its net profit for the June quarter, totaling ₹ 12,760 crore. A year earlier, the Tata group company had posted a net profit of ₹ 12,040 crore. The firm's revenue increased by 1.3%, reaching ₹ 63,437 crore, compared to ₹ 62,613 crore for the same quarter last year, though it saw a 3% decline when assessed on a constant currency basis. A company statement noted that its operating profit margin rose by 0.30 percent sequentially, now at 24.5% for the April-June timeframe. According to Seema Srivastava, Senior Research Analyst at SMC Global Securities, TCS, HCL Tech, and Wipro present distinct risk-reward profiles based on their Q1 FY26 performance and strategic posture. Srivastava believes TCS remains the most stable among the three, with strong operating (24.5%) and net margins (20.1%), and nearly perfect operating cash conversion (100.3%). Its robust Q1 TCV of $9.4 billion, focus on AI, and steady growth in BFSI and tech services indicate enduring client trust and adaptability. Despite muted YoY revenue growth (1.3%), TCS's margin resilience and high RoCE make it a safe, large-cap investment ideal for conservative investors seeking steady compounding and dividend payouts. Talking about HCL Tech said that while showing healthy revenue growth (8.2% YoY), saw a sharp EBIT margin contraction to 16.3% (from 19.4% in Q4 FY25), primarily due to wage hikes and AI investments. However, its free cash flow at 121% of net income and strong deal wins ($1.812B) suggest the margin dip may be transitory. HCL Tech also benefits from robust traction in telecom/media and Americas. Investors with a medium-risk appetite may find it appealing due to its strong fundamentals and growth initiatives in engineering/R&D and GenAI. Seema explained that Wipro, though improving in bookings ($2.666B, up 131% YoY), remains a laggard in revenue growth (0.8% YoY) and showed QoQ revenue/margin decline. Yet, its focus on GenAI and operational efficiency led to a 10% YoY profit growth. With a 15% net margin and strong cash flow (123% of net profit), Wipro might offer turnaround potential, suitable for value-oriented investors willing to bet on a cyclical upturn. Overall, TCS stands out for stability, HCL Tech for balanced growth, and Wipro for potential upside with higher risk. Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree Investment said that the Indian IT space is showing mixed signals, with large-cap names like TCS, HCL Tech, and Wipro trading at critical levels. Here's a breakdown of how each is positioned and which one presents the better opportunity right now. Jain explained that TCS share price is currently trading around its key support level of ₹ 3,177. The stock is showing signs of weakness, and a breach below this level could accelerate selling pressure, dragging it down toward ₹ 3,000. Until the support holds and there's clear evidence of buying, TCS remains vulnerable. HCL Tech shares has recently closed a price gap near ₹ 1,600. The next gap lies in the ₹ 1,526– ₹ 1,482 range — a zone where buyers could step in. If bullish price action develops around this area, it may offer a short-term bounce back to ₹ 1,650. Traders should watch closely for reversal signals before entering, according to Anshul Jain. Wipro, meanwhile, has been consolidating in a tight range between ₹ 275 and ₹ 235 for the last 78 days. This setup makes it the most straightforward trade among the three. A decisive breakout above ₹ 275 would signal fresh momentum and offer a clean buying opportunity, belives Jain. Wipro share price looks most promising on a breakout above ₹ 275. HCL Tech shares is worth watching for a bounce near its gap support. TCS share price remains weak and should be avoided unless ₹ 3,177 holds firmly. 'Short-term, Wipro offers the best potential, but only above the breakout level,' said Jain. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
International Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- International Business Times
The Role of Workflow Automation in Modern Enterprises: A Deep Dive into Camunda BPM
In a modern high-velocity digital economy, workflow automation has proven to be a foundation stone of operational efficiency and enterprise agility. Companies in all sectors are looking to swap frozen, manual procedures with versatile, expandable, and responsive frameworks. Central to this change is the Camunda BPM open-source workflow and decision automation platform, which provides a powerful means of coordinating intricate business processes. The fact that it can be smoothly integrated with event-driven architectures, microservices, and third-party APIs has also turned it into a popular choice among enterprises that want to standardize operations without compromising on compliance, observability, and scale. Sashi Kiran Vuppala is a technical architect and thought leader in the workflow automation domain who has consistently carved a prominent reputation. Over the past few years, he has made substantial progress in scaling both professionally and academically in the area of workflow automation, particularly through the integration of Camunda BPM into large-scale enterprise environments. As a Technical Architect and Lead, he has driven automation initiatives at global firms including Boeing and Ziply. At Boeing, his architecture and rollout of Camunda within content workflow systems like LSIE and ToolBox significantly enhanced turnaround speed and compliance. At Ziply, he led network orchestration flows that improved incident management efficiency by 40%. In his work on Camunda BPM integration into enterprise ecosystems, Vuppala has steadily risen in both profession and academia. His achievements span end-to-end BPM framework design and include the publication of 17 peer-reviewed research papers exploring orchestration challenges in real-world domains such as aerospace and telecom. He has also contributed to the BPM research community as a keynote speaker and reviewer for international automation conferences and journals, demonstrating his ongoing impact on both practice and theory. Diving deeper into his work, Vuppala uses Camunda BPM not only as a task execution engine but as a comprehensive digital transformation platform. For example, at Boeing, he automated content ingestion and validation for high-volume XML data, reducing the publishing pipeline's turnaround time by 30% and enhancing real-time monitoring. At Ziply, his automation of escalation workflows cut delay in response resolution by 40% and improved customer satisfaction through Kafka-based real-time events. These implementations not only accelerated delivery but enabled better SLA adherence and governance. Vuppala has been the architect behind retry and compensation patterns using Camunda's error-handling features, building resilience into BPM environments dealing with high-throughput, asynchronous data. His innovation includes building internal toolkits like a JSON-to-BPMN converter, reducing workflow deployment cycles by 35% and improving delivery timelines across TCS. These advances have led to 20% reductions in workflow failure rates, and up to 25% cost savings by modularizing API orchestration and introducing fault-tolerant patterns. Among the most outstanding elements of his work is the resolution of deep-rooted operational inefficiencies. At Boeing, legacy XML systems with tight coupling and manual batch jobs presented a major challenge Vuppala resolved this with adapter layers and Camunda-based cron triggers, bringing in automated orchestration where none existed. At another telecom organization, he developed Kafka-integrated BPM workflows for CRM triggers and dispute resolution, which enabled real-time customer sync across distributed microservices and improved SLA alignment. Another innovation was his use of layered BPMN subprocesses to enable cross-departmental ownership of workflows. This modular architecture allowed decentralized business units to co-own and govern workflows without process fragmentation, an especially powerful approach in highly regulated environments where human-in-the-loop and SLAs must co-exist with automation. In the future, Vuppala envisions workflow automation becoming increasingly adaptive and intelligent. Based on his enterprise-level implementations, he identifies AI-assisted orchestration, human-in-the-loop patterns, and full-stack observability as key frontiers. His current work involves exploring how Camunda can intersect with platforms like Splunk for telemetry, JWT for security, and Prometheus for runtime metrics shaping the next generation of BPM-enabled enterprise agility. Workflow automation is no longer confined to back-office optimization in the role of modern enterprises. It is now a digital strategy foundation, a provider of resilience, scale, and compliance. Professionals who succeed in this space are those who combine domain knowledge with hands-on technical mastery like Sashi Kiran Vuppala. His work offers a benchmark of how organizations can modernize process orchestration in a way that aligns with both operational goals and real-world complexity, all through a thoughtful and quantifiable application of Camunda BPM.
Hi Dubai
2 days ago
- Business
- Hi Dubai
TCS and MIT Sloan Unveil New Research on Human-AI Collaboration in Business
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management Review, has launched a new research series exploring the evolving relationship between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) in large enterprises. As more companies adopt AI-driven solutions, the focus is shifting from automation to strategic decision-making support. The year-long study, titled Human-Centric AI , examines how AI is transforming industries by enabling better decisions rather than simply optimizing processes. Covering six major sectors—manufacturing, retail and consumer goods, banking and finance, healthcare, energy, and technology—the research identifies how AI can create what it calls "intelligent choice architectures" (ICAs). These systems help organizations not only analyze data but shape the environment in which decisions are made. The research draws insights from major global organizations such as Walmart, Meta, MasterCard, BT, Cummins, and Pernod Ricard. For example, Pernod Ricard uses generative AI to test marketing content more effectively, while Walmart applies AI in HR to identify and nurture internal talent. In manufacturing, Cummins is using AI to simulate extreme engineering scenarios and improve product resilience. Mastercard has integrated AI across onboarding, customer care, and sales, while Liberty Mutual's LibertyGPT has saved over 200,000 employee hours by summarizing and responding to complex queries. Healthcare companies are also leveraging AI to accelerate drug discovery, reducing timelines by up to 30% and cutting associated costs by nearly 40%. Meanwhile, telecommunications provider BT has introduced an AI assistant named Aimee, which manages half of its 60,000 weekly customer interactions. The report emphasizes that AI's role is evolving from being a task assistant to becoming a co-architect in decision-making frameworks. 'ICAs flip the script,' said Michael Schrage, research fellow at MIT Sloan. 'They do not just learn from decisions — they learn how to improve the environment in which decisions are made.' TCS, already a key player in digital transformation, has been actively supporting enterprises on their AI journey. Its GenAI platform, WisdomNext™ 2.0, was recently enhanced with agent-based capabilities, and the company received the NVIDIA Rising Star Consulting Partner of the Year Award for AI Innovation. This new research series reinforces the growing importance of AI in helping enterprises navigate complex choices, optimize strategies, and build more accountable, human-centered decision systems. News Source: Memac Ogilvy
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Science
- Borneo Post
BKK: Dr Annuar dismisses claims of false promise, says over 21,000 applications stringently verified
(From second left) Dr Annuar and TCS executive director Dr Amin Aznizan symbolically hand over the aid to a TCS student representative. KUCHING (July 18): More than half of the 42,000 applications for the RM1,200 Special Financial Assistance (BKK) for Sarawak students have been verified, with the remainder expected to be processed by the end of this month. Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said the verification process is ongoing and requires extra care as the scheme involves public funds. 'We have to be meticulous about it. We cannot afford to give it to someone who is not eligible and we also don't want to miss someone who is,' he told reporters after handing over education aid to underprivileged students at Technology College Sarawak (TCS) here. Dr Annuar said this in response to accusations that BKK was a false promise. 'That (42,000 applicants) is a whole lot and it (the system) is jammed up. The accusation that the BKK is a lie and an empty promise is not true,' he explained. He pointed out the verification is based on letters from universities, which has slowed down the process. 'Initially, we thought it could be done quickly, but this is the first time we are implementing this scheme. 'After this, only new intakes will require verification,' he said. Dr Annuar pledged that payment to eligible students will not be an issue as alternative transfer methods are available for those without S Pay Global accounts. BKK was scheduled to be officially launched by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg on June 28, with approved applicants to receive their first disbursement immediately after. Dr Annuar also shared plans for the Siswa Balik Sekolah programme, which encourages students to give back to society during semester breaks by assisting primary school pupils and promoting interest in mathematics and science. Discussions are being held with the Education Department and Sarawak- universities including Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, i-CATS University College, University Technology Sarawak (UTS), and Curtin University Malaysia, to integrate the initiative with General Studies (MPU) under community engagement requirements. During today's event, 118 TCS underprivileged students each received RM1,000 in education aid from Yayasan Taqwa-Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) to help cover costs such as transportation, meals, and learning materials. As a charitable arm of MAIWP, Yayasan Taqwa is dedicated to distributing zakat and implementing education welfare programmes. The collaboration with TCS marks a strategic effort to support affordable higher education, particularly in Sarawak where accessibility remains a challenge for many. BKK Dr Annuar Rapaee lead
