Indian business leaders expect their workforce and machines will work as integrated teams within the next five years.

The world is entering the next era of human-machine partnerships with a divided vision of the future, according to global research now available from Dell Technologies. 67% of the 3,800 global business leaders surveyed including 300 Indian business leaders, across 17 countries forecast that automated systems will free up their time, while the other 33% believe otherwise. Similarly, 54% believe they'll have more job satisfaction in the future by offloading tasks to machines, while 46% disagree. More Indian leaders predict this impact on their work and business, compared to their global counterparts, hence the research suggests Indian businesses are more prepared and less concerned about how to compete.

That study forecasted that by 2030, emerging technologies will forge human partnerships with machines that are richer and more immersive than ever before, helping businesses surpass their limitations. Business leaders in the region agree: 92% of respondents expect humans and machines will work as integrated teams within their organisation inside of five years.

But leaders are also split by whether the future represents an opportunity or a threat, and torn by the need to mitigate these risks. 1 For instance:

• 56% say the more one depends upon technology, the more one has to lose in the event of a cyber-attack
• 57% of business leaders are calling for clear protocols in the event that autonomous machines fail; almost half abstained
• 56% say computers will need to decipher between good and bad commands; 44% don't see a need

According to, Rajesh Janey, Managing Director & President, India Enterprise, Dell EMC, "We're entering an era of tectonic digital change. In spite of the multiple challenges faced by businesses to go digital, leaders are united in the belief that they need to transform. It is encouraging to see how Indian leaders believe strongly in the importance of providing customer experiences which are not only holistic, but also engaging. In today's age of digital uncertainty, it is extremely important for enterprises to prepare for the future, focusing on workforce, security and IT transformation, in order to stay ahead. Through this research we aim to provide meaningful insights to business leaders to empower them with the ability to predict and plan for the digital future."

Also sharing his views, Alok Ohrie, Managing Director & President, India Commercial, Dell EMC, "We are at the horizon of an amazing digital future which is going to open newer and better business possibilities. As our dependence on machines increases, it is becoming imperative for businesses to plan and equip themselves for a collaborative human-machine future. This research is primarily aimed at helping customers and other businesses better envision the future and uncover peer advice on how to transform and succeed. A truly mutually beneficial partnership is on the cards - if businesses prepare accordingly."

Given the promise of monumental change-fuelled by exponentially increasing data and the applications, processing power and connectivity to harness it-64% speculate that schools will need to teach how to learn rather than what to learn to prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist. This thinking corroborates IFTF's forecast that 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't been invented yet.

Beset by barriers

Furthermore, many businesses aren't moving fast enough, and going deep enough, to overcome common barriers to operate as a successful digital business. Only 30% of businesses believe they are leading the way by ingraining digital in all they do. 35 percent don't know whether they'll be able to compete over the next decade, and about 40% of businesses are struggling to keep-up with the pace of change.

Main barriers to becoming a successful digital business in 2030 and beyond in APJ:

• Lack of workforce readiness: 69%
• Technology constraints: 65%
• Lack of digital vision and strategy: 64%
• Times and money constraints: 36%
• Law and regulations: 33%

Unified by the need to transform

Leaders may be divided in their view of the future and facing barriers to change, but they're united in the need to transform. In fact, the vast majority of businesses believe they'll be well on their way to transforming within five years, despite the challenges they face.

Likely to achieve within five years:

• Workforce will be more cybersecurity savvy: 98%
• Complete their transition to a software-defined business: 98%
• Have effective cybersecurity defences in place: 97%
• Deliver their product offering as a service: 96%
• R&D will drive their organisation forward: 96%
• All employees will be digital experts (comfortable working with and training on new digital technologies): 96%
• Delivering hyper-connected customer experiences with virtual reality (VR): 94%
• Using AI to pre-empt customer demands: 93%
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