TLDR: Infosys co-founders NR Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani, along with CEO Salil Parekh, highlighted the enduring importance of human skills like learnability, empathy, collaboration, and teamwork in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Speaking at the 25th anniversary of Infosys’ InSTEP internship program, they asserted that these qualities remain beyond AI’s capabilities and are crucial for future professional success.
At the 25th anniversary celebration of Infosys’ flagship internship program, InSTEP, the company’s prominent leaders, including co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder Nandan Nilekani, and Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh, converged to discuss the evolving landscape of the workplace in the age of artificial intelligence. Their collective message underscored the irreplaceable value of distinct human attributes amidst technological advancements.
NR Narayana Murthy, a veteran observer of technological disruption, articulated that ‘learnability’ stands as the most critical attribute for any successful professional. He defined learnability as ‘the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and use them in solving new unstructured problems.’ Murthy stressed that the core of success lies not merely in technological shifts, but in ‘human beings, human relationships, and teamwork.’ This perspective, he noted, aligns with a report by Moneycontrol.
Nandan Nilekani, known for his pivotal role in India’s Aadhaar digital identity initiative, reinforced Murthy’s sentiments. He emphasized that despite the rapid progress of technology, ‘human interaction, human collaboration, human relations, those will actually become even more important.’ Nilekani further asserted that qualities such as empathy, teamwork, and leadership are inherently beyond the grasp of machines. He encouraged professionals to adopt ‘first principles thinking’ when confronting complex challenges.
Salil Parekh, who has been at the helm of Infosys since 2018, positioned the InSTEP program as a dual-purpose initiative: both a talent pipeline and a leadership development engine. He highlighted the program’s success, noting that approximately 300 former interns have joined Infosys in client-facing and technology roles over the past five years, with this number consistently growing by 5–10 percent annually. Parekh also drew parallels between the company’s current AI re-skilling efforts and previous digital transformation waves, stating, ‘Everyone is becoming more AI-focused, and we will continue with that.’ He credited Infosys’ early investments in data and cloud technologies for bolstering its AI capabilities at scale.
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The discussions collectively painted a picture of a future where generative AI will undoubtedly transform the workplace, but where uniquely human skills will serve as the bedrock of innovation and problem-solving, ensuring human relevance and leadership in an AI-driven world.
