Tech Mahindra, a major IT services company, is strategically embracing emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and the metaverse to explore new growth opportunities across various industries.
Kunal Purohit, Chief Digital Services Officer at Tech Mahindra, who also oversees the company’s digital and analytics capability solution units globally, recently discussed these transformative shifts in the enterprise technology sector and Tech Mahindra’s plans for the future in an interview with media. Here are the edited excerpts from the interview:
Q: What are the significant shifts occurring in the enterprise technology sector, and how is Tech Mahindra adapting to these changes?
In the past decade, the most significant shift in the technology landscape has been the transition from traditional operating models to digital operating models, marked by increased digitization.
Over the last two to three years, these changes have accelerated further, with companies adopting cognitive digital models that integrate data and AI. The primary focus is on enhancing customer service, sales, outreach, and staying at the forefront of the technology ecosystem.
Tech Mahindra has been actively involved in areas related to cognitive AI, assisting businesses in addressing critical technology challenges. We leverage cutting-edge technologies such as computer vision, natural language processing, AI, and machine learning to drive long-term business outcomes like improved revenue, enhanced efficiency, reduced risk, elevated customer experiences, and more significant contributions to society.
Q: Tech Mahindra recently witnessed leadership changes in response to evolving business and technology landscapes. How have these changes impacted your short- and long-term digital objectives?
The realignment of leadership within Tech Mahindra has injected additional momentum into our digital initiatives. While C.P. Gurnani has set the tone, the team led by Mohit Joshi (the new MD and CEO) and Atul Soneja, Chief Operating Officer, has sharpened its focus on strategic areas to ensure continued relevance and success. Given the prevailing macroeconomic conditions, consumers are increasingly investing in emerging domains such as AI, generative AI, cybersecurity, and more.
Tech Mahindra is committed to equipping our engineers and consultants with highly specialized skills. We recently established an innovation center in Finland to expand our footprint and bolster our workforce.
Our commitment remains unwavering as we continue to offer digital business transformation services and solutions in quantum computing, generative AI, and the metaverse. These efforts enable us to tap into new research and development (R&D) opportunities across various customer industries.
Q: Could you elaborate on generative AI’s potential and how you are utilizing it to address complex business challenges?
AI was initially used to automate processes and enhance operations. However, there has been a noticeable shift towards optimizing large language models like GPT, where AI is now employed for creative and generative purposes.
Tech Mahindra’s Email AmplifAIer, for instance, harnesses the power of generative AI to offer unified visualizations and automation techniques. This approach embraces the human-in-the-loop philosophy to responsibly improve customer experiences.
Our use of generative AI has yielded remarkable results, with productivity increasing by 25-30% and substantial cost savings. Tech Mahindra proudly introduced the first generative AI studio and is leveraging it internally to empower enterprises to make informed decisions and achieve digitized efficiency.
Our focus areas include banking, financial services, insurance, healthcare, and retail. We remain committed to investing in our employees’ learning and development to create a future-proof, resilient talent pool.
Q: What types of technology talent are you planning to recruit?
Although technology hiring has slowed down, Tech Mahindra remains dedicated to upskilling its workforce and investing in learning tools and platforms. During the April-June period, we upskilled nearly 9,000 staff in generative AI and other AI platforms. With a specific emphasis on AI, quantum computing, the metaverse, and other emerging technologies, we are actively seeking the right candidates.
Q: Could you share some insights into the enterprise metaverse projects you are currently involved in? Do you anticipate growing demand for such projects?
The enterprise metaverse is becoming an integral part of the technological landscape. Tech Mahindra is witnessing an increasing demand for metaverse and other futuristic projects across various sectors. We are assisting clients in creating immersive, interconnected, and intelligent designs and digital experiences based on the metaverse.
In the future, projects related to the metaverse, AI, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and quantum computing are likely to secure more deals based on client priorities. Currently, clients are prioritizing cost transformation, transitioning to the cloud, and enhancing customer experiences.
Q: What are Tech Mahindra’s key focus areas for the next 12 to 18 months?
Our primary focus is enabling enterprises to achieve greater autonomy through the development of AI technologies, including generative AI. Additionally, we are leveraging digital twins and other emerging technologies to establish secure industry-specific clouds. This involves creating industry-specific solutions on the cloud while ensuring security.
Our third focus area involves empowering our clients to monetize their offerings by establishing marketplaces. Internally, we are witnessing a rise in data monetization, which we facilitate through our data engineering, data management, and data governance practices. We will continue to expand our presence in agile DevOps, human-centered design, and our partner ecosystem in the coming months. Additionally, we will forge partnerships with hyperscalers to drive greater value and innovation for enterprises.