INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will not render people jobless in future, but rather create more opportunities for humans,
Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy said here.The renowned IT industrialist noted that technology provides an opportunity for people to
move from drudgery to tasks that require more human touch."AI definitely is a very important topical area of computer sciences
AI, machine learning, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), these are all areas which are likely to make lives of human beings even
more comfortable," Mr Murthy told news agency Press Trust of India.Giving example of US, UK, and Japan, which embraced technology early on,
he noted that these countries have been able to reduce unemployment rates to single digits.According to a report by World Economic Forum
(WEF), rapid evolution of machines and algorithms in workplace could create 133 million new roles in place of 75 million that will be
displaced by 2022."If you observe economic history of this world in last 50 years when computers started playing a bigger role, you can
realise that those countries that absorb technology more enthusiastically, have reduced their unemployment much more than those which did
not embrace technology," Mr Murthy said.Dismissing argument that technology renders people unemployed, he said: "It is not really
true.""What technology does is it provides an opportunity for human beings to move from drudgery tasks to tasks that require more and more
human touch," he added.Mr Murthy noted automated teller machines (ATMs) are a classic example of technology making human lives easier as
they have removed "this whole drudgery of tellers" and brought convenience of withdrawing money from a nearby machine whenever you want, and
at any time."I am not a believer that technology will render societies into a state of higher and higher unemployment," he said on sidelines
of Infosys Prize ceremony here on Saturday.The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social
scientists by Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) and ranks among highest monetary awards in India to recognise research.Six eminent professors
were awarded Infosys Prize 2018 across different categories of science and research.The annual award includes a pure gold medal, a citation,
and a prize purse worth $1,00,000 (or its equivalent in rupees).
