Workplace automation to double in India: Survey

New Delhi : The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics at workplaces is expected to double in India in the next three years from current 14 per cent to 27 per cent -- which is higher than the global and Asia Pacific (APAC) average, a survey said on Wednesday.

The "Global Future of Work Survey" by London-based global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson, said that 61 per cent of companies believe they would require fewer full-time employees in the next three years. The survey also revealed that very few companies (12 per cent) and HR functions are fully prepared to address the organisational change requirements related to automation.

"Automation and the resulting shift in work arrangements will create new challenges that will test employer readiness around technology, future workforce requirements, HR programmes and an enabling organisational structure," Sambhav Rakyan, Head of Talent and Rewards, Willis Towers Watson India, said in a statement.

"While our research does indicate that organisations in India are beginning to take small but solid steps to address this paradigm shift -- business leaders, people managers and HR must collaborate to identify and mitigate risks and take full advantage of the many opportunities that the future of work presents," Rakyan added.

The survey revealed that companies in APAC expect automation to account for on average 23 per cent of work being done in the next three years as compared to 13 per cent today. "Also 33 per cent companies in India believe that automation enables a flexible deployment of work to other locations, compared to the APAC average of 39 per cent," it said. However, in three years' time, a massive 70 per cent Indian companies anticipate this automation driven work flexibility as compared to 65 per cent in the APAC region.