Techfastly March 2021 by Techfastly

M a rc h | 2021

BOOK REVIEW

LIFE 3.0

MEET CLUBHOUSE ARE YOU JUST “DOING AGILE” OR “BEING AGILE”

ADITI GUPTA IN CONVERSATION WITH ADITI GUPTA, FOUNDER OF MENSTRUPEDIA

THE FUTURE OF ROBOT AND WORK

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Artificial Intelligence –Will It Outpace Humans? -Barkha Sheth Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A breakthrough that can augment and transform every walk of life or the harbinger of a Matrix styled dystopian future?

Meet Clubhouse -Anjali Prabhanjanan The Clubhouse is a new social media app that’s less than a year old and making big waves. Having valued at USD 1 billion,

Are you just ‘Doing Agile’ or ‘Being Agile’ -Akanksha Shetti The only change that will be bought by Agile Adoption is in the way the team works by implementing Agile practices, processes, values, and principles.

The Face Behind AI -Apurva Minchekar The introduction of the gig working model has allowed workers to have complete control over the project and the flexibility to work. Gig working models encourage freelancers to perform their assigned tasks from anywhere in the world.

Book Review: Life 3.0 -Punam Majhi Intelligent beings always rule over the less intelligent species. So, will it affect us when the machines become smarter by acquiring superintelligence? Will the intelligence explosion be the beginning of our doom or the end of human suffering?

Seven Facts Nobody Told You About Industry 4.0 -Vibha Soni Advanced technologies are changing the working model in every business. Manufacturing is the root process of interaction. And, the arrival of Industry 4.0 is assisting companies in multiple ways.

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Interview with Aditi Gupta What is an AI Factory? -Anupriya Asthana

Will Artificial Intelligence Be an Emotional Catastrophe? - Suman Bambhniya

Chatbots: A Journey towards Embracing Conversational AI -Akanksha Shetti

The Future of Robots and Work -Apurva Minchekar

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THE

As more and more technologies become prevalent, their influence becomes more widespread. Things that we never deemed necessary all of a sudden become “technologically advanced.” We are already witnessing the arrival of the fourth industrial revolution. You are unaware of many myths and facts regarding Industry 4.0; we bring you the insights of seven such facts that you have not heard before. With Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Agility, IoT, Machine Learning is blooming. In this issue, we have focused on different domains of Artificial Intelligence. You would read out the infrastructure of an AI factory, what companies are already using AI factories.

EDITOR

FROM

We also put in a discussion if AI would be an emotional catastrophe or if it will outpace humans. As you would read further along, we would investigate together if robots are going to snatch your job from you or just co-exist with you, making your life and work simpler than ever before? Aditi Gupta talks about her aspiration to create a future where menstruation is not a taboo but a welcoming change in a girl’s life. In her interview, she shares the fascinating story of Menstrupedia, a comic that has taken the internet by storm and made it cool to talk about menstruation. Here is your edition. Do read it, enjoy it, and nourish in the knowledge. Happy reading! Thank you

Srikant Rawat COO, Techfastly

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|Barkha Sheth

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – Will It Outpace Humans? 4

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AI has been more transformative than anything we have ever seen, at times challenging what it means to be human.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A breakthrough that can augment and transform every walk of life or the harbinger of a Matrix styled dystopian future? In reality, AI is still in its infancy. It is evolving only because we are continually seeking ways to simplify our existence. In that case, could we go too far? Could AI, at any point, become smarter than us or is its existence solely dependant on the cognitive abilities and native intelligence of humans? A central tenet of the 4th Industrial revolution, AI has been more transformative than anything we have ever seen, at times challenging what it means to be human. From consumer tech to enterprisegrade solutions, artificial intelligence is firmly ingrained in our innovations. It might be easier to collate a list of the part of modern society that is yet untouched by AI than the other way round. AI is influencing every facet of our daily lives, helping improve efficiencies, and augmenting human capabilities.

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The Science Behind Artificial Intelligence

While artificial intelligence has been popularised by software’s like Siri and Google Duplex, it has been in the works since the 1950s. The human brain has been the primary inspiration for AI researchers, with the quest for replicating cognitive abilities of the brain, being the most elusive of the goals.

networks to automatically model and find patterns in data to predict an outcome. Given the amount of data we generate from the touchpoints in our daily life, it is little wonder the use of artificial intelligence has exploded in recent times.

As it stands, machines are already observing, analyzing, and learning from data and mistakes just like humans can. Instead of being programmed in what to think, AI uses statistics, mathematical algorithms, and artificial neural 7

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Abstract Thinking – Can AI Emulate It?

ecently Google released a speaking AI that mimics human conversation, and a google subsidiary, Deep Mind, created an AI that beat two world champions in a board game called ‘Go’. The reason the latter is remarkable is that ‘Go’ is one of the most complex strategy games. There are so many potential moves and game states that it makes chess look like toddler play. Yet, ‘Alpha Go’, Deep Mind’s innovation, conquered it by keeping the memory of the games it has played and studying them as experience. It could collate and sift through its learnings, selecting the choice that had the highest potential for a positive outcome. Does that sound a lot like a human brain, learning from its experiences and using that to decide future interactions?

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But given all this, the reality is more humbling. While there is substance behind AI’s hype, its underlying hypothesis still centres around the availability of data. The most sophisticated machine learning algorithm is at its core, a computer software that requires the right data sets to problem solve. From facial recognition software that compares billions of pixels to AI-powered Robo-analysts in banking software’s, the same rules apply. Technology evolves, progresses, and becomes more efficient. Deep neural networks enable AI algorithms to analyze data through multiple layers with greater accuracy. Generative adversarial networks let AI create data based on the data set it has trained on, while reinforcement training lets machines learn from feedback-based trial-and-error interactions. However, the fundamental principle remains the same – if you can translate the task into data, AI will do it. But can one break down common sense into data? Can we create datasets that enable AI to think in abstracts when situations do not follow the predetermined course? How do we mathematically define, curiosity?

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Artificial Intelligence vs Our Cognitive Abilities In continuing with the argument around data, one thing we can certainly say–Humans are dreadful at storing massive amounts of data and are terribly slow in processing larger sets of information. In the time it would take a human brain to translate 200 words, an AI-based algorithm would translate at least a million. The fact is computers surpass us in any operation that involves mathematical computation or data processing. However, the human brain is exceptionally adept at deciding based on common sense, instinct and scarce information. We can transfer learnings across parallel events, use limited information to determine the next best course of action, and when all else fails, we use creativity to construct new responses. What comes naturally to humans is the hardest to translate into machine learnings.

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The Future as It Stands Artificial Intelligence is the cornerstone of our existence and is here to stay. Machines do obviate the need for a human workforce in some sectors, but they are not a complete replacement. The future does not lie in the hands of either. It is based on the collaborative and complementary intelligence of both; the cognitive abilities, leadership, and creativity of one combined with the speed, scalability, and quantitative strengths of the other, is the way forward for businesses and humanity alike. For sure, as technology advances and gives AI the wherewithal to handle generalizations on its own, the heated debate on its regulation needs to take centre stage. Black-box models of AI can increasingly make predictions and decisions as humans do, but without the ability to communicate the reasoning behind it. Their outcomes could potentially be on patterns which we as humans cannot perceive. How does one then justify a course of action determined by a machine? In either case, we are at a dawn of technological evolution – one where man and machine will need to learn to live together, where the existence of one entirely depends on the other. There is no crystal ball to state if one will overtake the other, but for now, we will just have to allow technology the upper hand and to let AI steadily improve and run unhinged in our society.

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| Anjali Prabhajanan

Meet Clubhouse The Voice-Only Social Media App That Has Taken the Internet by Storm

re you wondering about Clubhouse that has taken the internet by storm? The world’s richest man, Elon Musk has recently popped up in a Clubhouse room that brought a lot of attention to this exclusive voice-only iPhone app. This app on your phone lets you listen in on other people’s live conversations, legally and not in a creepy way. You may get the opportunity to join the audiochat social network. There are no pictures or videos in this app, but only profile pics for each user to join in via audio.

The Clubhouse is a new social media app that’s less than a year old and making big waves. Having valued at USD 1 billion, venture capitalists are scrambling to invest in this voice-only social media app that has taken the internet by storm. This social platform is built around the “drop-in audio chat”. It features short real-time voice conversations any user can listen to, but nobody can record. This invite-only app has gathered a legion of high-profile fans, including Elon Musk and some two million users.

The coronavirus pandemic may have created the ideal conditions for this app to thrive as people isolated by lockdowns were desperate for social connection. Though text-based social media platforms are fine, voice is a natural alternative to make a social connection during these unprecedented times. 12

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The Clubhouse is a new social media app that’s less than a year old and making big waves.

Fred Simpson

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What is Clubhouse?

Users can follow other users or topics of interest and join themed clubs in this social media app. They can have access to a selection of chat rooms that focus on different topics, most of which are highly tuned to the zeitgeist.

he chat rooms come in all sizes. Some have just a few people chatting informally, while others have hundreds or thousands of people listening to a panel of experts, a celebrity, a politician, or a business leader. The other people in the room are visible, and you can bring up their profiles, complete with a list of whom they follow. The Clubhouse algorithm takes all this into account while offering content choices. You can raise your hand if you want to say something, and the room owner can give you speaking privileges. Moreover, you can even applaud a speaker by rapidly clicking on the mute/unmute button. All of this happens in an audio-only format. It is more like eavesdropping on a fascinating conversation- with the ability to join in if you have some

thing to add. Many of its early users are raving about how much they like it. One reason behind the Clubhouse’s popularity is that audio can feel much more intimate and “live” than text-based social media. People now more than ever prefer to talk instead of using a keyboard. During its short life, Clubhouse has garnered a desirable social cachet. Currently, the only way to access the app is to be invited by an existing user. From its initial fame among the Silicon Valley investors, Clubhouse has attracted an impressive number of public figures, including Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Drake. You’ll also find celebrities talking about their latest projects, experts with in-depth domain knowledge, and politicians with policies to champion.

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One reason behind the Clubhouse’s popularity is that audio can feel much more intimate and “live” than text-based social media.

Renowned users like these have been a huge drawcard, along with its relatively scanty invitations have added a sense of exclusivity to Clubhouse. Rooms in the Clubhouse are temporary. So, when the meeting is over, the room disappears, and all its discussion is gone forever. Moreover, it is not possible to record these discussions.

The temporary nature of these rooms may help stop the formation of social media echo chambers, in which people are only exposed to those with whom they already agree.

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How to Become a Clubhouse User? The app’s website is www.joinclubhouse.com, which points to downloading it from the Apple App Store and waiting for an existing user’s invitation.

With its membership by invitation only, at least for now, there are two ways you can join and become a Clubhouse user. You can use this app with a personal invitation from a friend who is already its member or download the app and reserve a username to get yourself on the waiting list.

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Clubhouse encourages you to link your contacts to make it easier to find people to follow. If you go by the second way, anyone you know who is already a member might be notified, and if that happens, they might let you in the Clubhouse. At present, this app is only available on Apple devices. You need to give your phone number and your real name to register for Clubhouse. When an existing user sends you an invitation to join this app, you’ll receive a link texted to, asking you to visit the app link and sign in with your phone number. You can link your Twitter account to this app if you don’t want to set up a profile from scratch. It will pull in your existing Twitter profile picture. Clubhouse encourages you to link your contacts to make it easier to find people to follow. After logging in, you can verify an email address with their service, so you have a method to reconnect if there’s an issue in the future. Alpha Exploration Co. has stated that it intends to release an Android version soon for this audio-chat app.

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What’s the Buzz Surrounding the Clubhouse? Recently, this social media newcomer has secured a new round of funding in the order of US$100 million. The firm’s plan for the future is to open the app to the general public and allow content creators to get paid. They are considering three types of income generation- subscription, tipping, and ticket sales. Currently, their user base is around 2 million that’s likely to see an exponential growth compared to the fact Facebook is approaching 3 billion users, while Twitter boasts of having 300 million users.

When Did It Launch? Well, Clubhouse was launched in March 2020 by Alpha Exploration Co., when COVID has started spreading in the US. It became a big deal in the process to select a few in part due to its invite-only exclusivity, similar to the real-world club membership. During its early days, it was an incredibly small community consisting of venture capitalists. This app received USD 12 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz, two months after it launched. It quickly became worth USD 100 million while they had only 1,500 users. Now, the app is open to a lot more than investors, even if it provides invite-only access. Currently, the developers are working on the Android version of the app, as there are more Android users than iPhone worldwide. Launching Clubhouse on Android might have killed the app servers after a publicity stunt like having Musk in an audio chat room. 18

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The Clubhouse rules try to ensure that the conversations happening in their platform are effectively off the record.

The history of innovation is marked by people making unforeseen connections. Meeting the right people at the right time in an unplanned way cannot be made on-demand. But you can create the right conditions for people and conversations to happen spontaneously. The Clubhouse rules try to ensure that the conversations happening in their platform are effectively off the record. It states that the user cannot transcribe, record, reproduce, or share information

from its chat room without prior permission. This encourages spontaneity and relaxed off-thecuff chats. However, critics say this also makes space for racism and misogyny. The growing Clubhouse network is likely to face challenges on content moderation and transparency, as confronted by Facebook and YouTube likes. The voice-based social media platform like the Clubhouse is well-suited to create the right conditions for making unforeseen connections- either for better or worse. 19

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| Akanksha Shetti

‘Doing Agile’ OR

ARE YOU JUST

‘Being Agile’?

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It’s a customer-centric world out there!

he amalgamation of the latest technological innovations, live-in-the-moment end-users, and an ever-changing business environment requires organizations to continuously evolve and adapt to new strategies to meet the business/customer requirements. Necessity is the mother of invention. With a need to have a greater business impact, innovate faster, and outmaneuver competitors, organizations are transforming and going the Agile way. Customers demand what they need, and businesses are expected to deliver. Organizations have realized the need to move at break-neck speed and embrace themselves to transform ways of working, enabling faster delivery and speed-to-market continuously. Where traditional models of working fail, agile is the way to go!

But how and why did we get here?

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Shortfalls Before Agile:

The Need For Speed

Gone are the days where a product was built using traditional models like Waterfall, and when a customer just saw the end product or a working software after everything had been designed and developed. Imagine waiting for a year or so to solve your business need! The big bang integration done at the very last stage could not account for any undocumented business or technological bottlenecks and risks. Additionally, the longer duration of projects amounted to high risk and uncertainty as the project could go out of scope, beyond budget, or take more time to be built. The development model was rigid with no scope of change or improvements. There was a need to solve issues in real-time. However, in today’s VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, change is the only constant. And organizations are going Agile to maximize the business impact and achieve continuous delivery and minimize the feedback loop between the developers and users.

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The Birth of Agile In February 2001, seventeen independent-minded software practitioners got together and the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, also known as the Agile Manifesto, came into existence to speed up the software development lifecycle. They created four values.

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The manifesto saw value in the items on the right, but it valued the items on the left more. Agile is all about developing quality product iterations in short-sprinted releases. Teams started implementing Agile practices like stand-up meetings, user stories, iterations, etc. Although this is what it means to be agile, the real question that came up is - Are you just “Adopting Agile” or “Transforming to become Agile”? In other words, are you “Doing Agile” or “Being Agile”?

Traditional development teams worked in silos. Agile called for smashing down the barriers and bringing a collaborative and cross-functional team to the forefront. Adapting to this radical shift – a world where acceptance to change is hard – needed a culture and mindset change. Agile is not just about practicing Scrum or Kanban. Agile is more of a culture and mindset shift both organizational and individual level. According to the State of Agile report, only 16% of respondents reached the satisfactory level of Agile maturity, while the whopping 54% of enterprises are still perfecting their practices, despite following Agile from one to five or more years.

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Are you just “Doing Agile”? If you start and adopt the Agile practices like Scrum just because everyone is doing it, then it’s absolutely just a knee jerk reaction. It’s like a journey without a destination. The only change that will be bought by Agile Adoption is in the way the team works by implementing Agile practices, processes, values, and principles.

Or are you “Being Agile”? Agile Transformation may be defined as a fundamental change in the process of an organization’s culture and mindset. It’s not just the development teams that need a change in mindset. A real transformation can only occur when you not only implement it across one team, but across all teams and levels in the organization.

Employees at all levels in the organization must embrace the change to achieve a real agile transformation. The C-suite should be in the driver’s seat and lay a clear foundation for the organization-wide agile transformation by embracing the change and setting a clear vision. The middle layer should put on their innovation caps and lead the cross-functional teams from the front. 25

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gile adoption can be pretty fast as only one team can adopt Agile. One team may follow Agile, whereas another team may follow the Waterfall model. If implemented incorrectly, this can undermine the very essence of Agile. However, Agile transformation would take time and a number of years to transform all teams and align themselves to the common objective where business value delivered and user satisfaction are the top two measures of success. The majority of the teams fail to move from “doing agile” to “being agile”. Thus, the success of Agile Transformation is dependent on how the management or leadership team perceives it.

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Reinvigorating the Software Development Lifecycle Adopting Agile is not a luxury but a necessary guide that empowers you to navigate through any market turbulences and steer ahead with full power throttle. Let us look at some of the benefits of going Agile: 1. Business value is given top priority : Agile enables the client to determine the priority features. This enables a better understanding of the business goals and objectives and helps the team prioritize and deliver features that provide the most business value. 2. Highly collaborative environment : As a first step, Agile shatters the traditional development, testing, and operations silos increasing team collaboration and instilling accountability across employees to drive towards a common goal. Creating cross-functional teams enables effective communication and empowers them to make on-the-go decisions. With such flexibility and responsiveness, agile organizations can meet their customer demands. 3. Improves overall product quality : Agile breaks down the work into manageable units. Instead of a big bang integration at the end, every build is tested right from the development phase enabling early defect identification in requirements, architecture, and design, thus giving a chance to change/improve the feature.

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4. Reduces cost : The cost of fixing a defect rises exponentially as you move closer to production. According to an IBM survey, research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology & the Ponemon Institutefound that if vulnerabilities get detected in the early development process, they may cost around $80 on average. But the same vulnerabilities may cost around $7600 to fix if detected during the production phase.Early defect identification helps in fixing defects at the development stage itself. Prevention (of defects escaping production) is better than a cure (defect fixes), especially when the cure is costly. 5. Prevent any “bow wave” effect : With traditional ways of identifying defects at the last stages, there is less time to fix defects, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will be postponed until later increments or versions of the system. Fixing defects early avoids creating a “bow wave” of technical debt. 28

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Handling Chaos with Agility Agile is a powerful framework for software development that benefits all stakeholders involved in the product lifecycle – starting from the development team, operations team, and even client and end-users. It helps teams avoid the most common bottlenecks such as cost, timelines, and scope creep in a more controlled manner. Amid the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, every organization’s think-tank had to reshape the working model with agility by quickly adapting to work remotely and still be operate-ready. Larger organizations that were already Agile-ready could quickly position themselves and deal with the crisis. The smaller and not-so-agile companies had to adapt, adopt, and transform to the agile ways of working to stay afloat and ensure business continuity. And now that they have gained traction, they wouldn’t want to lose the continuity.

Gear up and accelerate your business value. It’s time to Go Agile! 29

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The Face Behind 30

| Apurva Minchekar

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The introduction of the gig working model has allowed workers to have complete control over the project and the flexibility to work. Gig working models encourage freelancers to perform their assigned tasks from anywhere in the world. Hence many people prefer working as freelancers over full-time employees. The gig economy has completely changed the traditional nature of work with three major dimensions - the work, the person who performs the task, and the place of work. The gig economy trending model changes the organization’s workplace policies and adopts new practices to hire experienced and talented professionals, aka gig workers.

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Who are Digital Gig Workers? Unlike in-person gig workers such as couriers and delivering packages, digital gig workers can work online irrespective of where they reside. However, digital gig workers enjoy equal benefits of control, flexibility, and independence like in-person gig workers. With the advancement of technology over the years, these digital gig workers now play an integral role in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Where do Companies Hire a Digital Gig Worker? There are many ways to hire active freelancers to train AI and ML. Many corporate companies approach third-party agencies while other employers hire gig workers from digital platforms such as Upwork, LinkedIn, Behance, and more.

How Digital Gig Workers Contribute to AI? AI needs the training to see the world like humans to deliver logical and accurate data to the audience. Big companies hire digital gig workers to train AIs so that they can understand the world better. From labeling the data to image data, these digital gig workers supervise the

AI in recognizing patterns to make intelligent decisions. For instance, Amazon might be hiring transcribing digital gig workers to train the AI to understand the speech and recognize the voice algorithm. Some big tech giants also have their in-house versions.

Basic tasks performed by digital gig workers to train AIs: Image Classification-

Digital gig workers train AIs to understand and classify the items in terms of colors, style, and more. It helps AI to recognize particular articles.

Transcription of Data- AIs are supervised to

produce transcriptions from video, audio, and images. It also enhances the recognition systems.

Tags- The human training helps

AIs maintain data, categories, and tags. With the use of these tags, the AI can recommend accurate data to the audience.

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Benefits of Hiring a Digital Gig Worker Finding the right digital gig worker to train AI is quite challenging. There are chances of mismatch of skills or lack of training skills. It is also difficult for companies to monitor and track the performance and productivity of the worker. Even after so many concerns, companies still prefer working with freelancers over full-time employees because of the following reasons: 1. Lower labor cost- Hiring a freelancer is more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee. Many freelancers charge hourly based or signed for one-time projects. There are no additional expenses such as travel or petrol remuneration because freelancers have the independence of working from anywhere. 2. They have developed a nicheFreelancers are experts in the projects they choose to work on. They assure you result-oriented work and hold experience of several years in the industry. Therefore, many freelancers prefer working as individuals rather than having a tie-up with agencies. 3. Freelancers assure quality work- Successful freelancers in the industry are very confident in their work and do not have to undergo

trial and error terms. Sometimes freelancers are more efficient than the full-time employees for the same task because of their training on the subject for years. 4. Heterogeneity- Freelancers work on a variety of projects with exposure to different styles of working. Because of their diverse skill set, it helps them to give projects a new perspective. 5. Connections- Freelancers can help you connect the right person you are looking for. Because they work with different organizations, they are always in a good association with skilled professionals like designers, writers and more. So you can always ask them to refer to any of their connections that suits your project role. 33

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Problems Faced by Digital Gig Worker Like every coin has two faces, digital gig workers also have to face challenges while dealing with the companies. The artificial intelligence industry runs on the invisible human labor who often have to work under awful conditions. 1. Low wages- Even after the complex process behind supervising an AI to make intelligent decisions, digital gig workers work on low wages. For many, these platforms are their only source of income. Reports suggest that digital gig workers earn $2 per hour - less than the US minimum wage. 2. Less future job opportunities- Working as a digital gig worker can cut down on future job opportunities because not all employers know the subject. Many freelancers do not prefer adding these works to their profile. 3. Ghost work- The invisible human labor behind the training of AIs do not get any credits. Ghost work is also a type of mistreatment to the freelancer’s work and ethics. A project done under the name of ghost work and low wage reward is equal to labor exploitation. 4. No employment benefits- Unlike full-time employees, freelancers do not have access to employment benefits like health insurance, paid leaves, sick leave or retirement plans. This can land freelancers into rough economic situations. 5. Not all freelancers are hired- With increasing demand for paid gig workers, everyone wants to have a flexible work life to balance personal and professional. But the bitter truth of the freelance industry is that not all freelancers are hired or not all the time you will be occupied with projects. There can be a time where you have no project in your hand facing finance challenges.

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The Future of Gig Economy in AI AIs have indeed made human lives easy. Over the past couple of years, the application of AI has paced up in various industries. Many tech giants have successfully proved the use of AI amidst the COVID-19 situation. Few examples of how AI had played a crucial role amidst the COVID-19 situation: 1. Google Maps introduced the COVID Layer feature to alert their consumers about corona affected areas. 2. AICOVID-19 can differentiate COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 coughs on your smartphones by sending three cough sounds through the AI engine producing results in 2 minutes. 3. Apple introduced Apple Watch Series 6 with an inbuilt oximeter and claimed to work with health organizations to determine whether the device can identify a person contaminated with COVID-19. 4. Aarogya Setu App launched to trace COVID-19 rule violators with AI cameras. Initially, installed in Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda. 5. Big companies such as TATA used AI combined with Chest X-ray to identify abnormal findings in the lungs that is the main symptom of corona disease.

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The application of AI has paced up in various industries

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With scientists experimenting with the combination of AI and ML algorithms across various fields such as health and finance, AI has many undiscovered benefits. The growth of the gig economy relies on the use of technology and its advancements. By bringing awareness about the invisible human labor behind AI and supporting the digital gig workers, there can be a

decline in gig worker’s exploitation. The increased use of AIs and demands for digital gig workers seem to boost the gig economy shortly.

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BOOK R EVI EW | Punam Majhi

m 38

ax Tegmark has craftily presented his optimistic-take on the growing world of artificial intelligence. And he has been successful in diving the readers deep into the topic from the very prelude. The introduction to “Omegas” surely binds the attention at the very first chance. By the time you go through a few pages of the book, it will engage you to go further into the world of AI

and explore both the challenges and possibilities. With the brilliance of words and presentation skills, Tegmark has given us a view into the future when AI technology will reach a plateau. The way he envisioned billions of years into the future reflects his visionary genius and hope for a world where the whole universe joins in. All the possibilities, explanations, and solutions are incredibly weaved together to ignite our curious minds.

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Intelligent beings always rule over the less intelligent species. So, will it affect us when the machines become smarter by acquiring super-intelligence? Will the intelligence explosion be the beginning of our doom or the end of human suffering? The answer is still unknown but requires thorough research and safety measures from researchers and scientists. The fear of AI taking over the world is prominent among lots of people, including AI researchers. Though the possibilities of such happenings can’t be ignored, Max has urged the readers to look into the matter with a solution-oriented approach.

“AI’s gentle beginnings may quickly seed an intelligence explosion.” As many science-fiction movies show robots taking over humanity for evil reasons, it has created a perception among people. However, it’s time to look into the beneficial sides also by taking the right measures too. After all, even if it takes AI more than a century to topple human-intelligence, it will happen with its ability to store more data. Therefore, its impact on various job sectors will be inevitable. The book focuses on how we can upgrade our skills to use AI technology to our advantage. Instead of staying in fear, Max believes there would be a lot more for people to do but with relaxation. 39

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“So who’s right: those who say automated jobs will be replaced by better ones or those who say most humans will end up unemployable?”

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With his physicist’s view, Tegmark treats us with a vision where we reach cosmic endowment. He believes that either human, artificially empowered descendants or cyborgs will direct the events of the future. How can we ignore the fascinating idea of farming black holes for harnessing their ten billion times more energy? But will the use of black holes’ energy once and for all-cause “cosmocalypse” taking down the entire Universe? Will there be clashes between Universal civilizations over the power of black hole energy? It raises another question whether humans are alone with intelligence or there are more colonies within the space with intelligent species. Tegmark asks the questions as he himself wants to find the answers with all of us. 41

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“I think that this assumption that we’re not alone in our Universe is not only dangerous but also probably false.” Mr. Tegmark gives us a glance into the future where the wormhole theories might come alive, opening up the door to travel across far-ends of the universe with stability. Many sci-fi movies, like Interstellar, Thor, Contact etc. and Netflix series Dark introduce us to wormholes.

he excitement of something beyond what we can perceive is unimaginable and Tegmark will take you exactly into the same mind-zone. His writing is concise and understandable to all. What fascinated me is the billions of years into the future and the discussions about consciousness. The conversations in the book are enlightening rather than just entertaining. It is fascinating to think of artificially intelligent species and how they can affect our existence either in better or devilish ways. Therefore, the book urges all humanity to reflect what values we would want in machine preserving all safety measures. But can these machines at some point feel threatened if we confine them into a small area? With the rise in their intelligence, will they want to break free from human control or work beside us? All these questions will have their answers one by one when we will be willing to fathom the possibilities the AI can bring. However, the ultimate answer will come in the far-fetched future. We can’t ignore that many AI-based technologies are facing ethical dilemmas which we are still not able to solve. How can we inflict ethics into machines? That’s where the need for consciousness comes in. As humans, we know that consciousness drives many practices in our daily life and we can react with emotions. But can the AI be as awake as we are now or will it remain a machine that works on command?

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For example, many AI-driven cars have faced crashes due to miscellaneous external events. Suppose a person jumps in front of a running car, will the car stop or avoid hitting the person while driving into some hard construction. It can result in an accident, even killing the passengers. But if a human would drive a car, he will analyze the situation with all the senses, and his brain will trigger a response that will be far more practical. If these unsolved questions come out, we may witness a world more advanced, just like in Black Panther or beyond that.

“Consciousness = Subjective Experience”

ax Tegmark has taken us on a journey with Life 3.0, instilling hope beside showing pitfalls of AI becoming more intelligent. His optimism for super-intelligent technology is evident throughout the book. However, he cleverly kept the discussion open for us whether super-intelligence will take over the world, creating a totalitarian world or more individual empowerment. Of course, one can’t ignore his thoughtful examples and incredible illustrations. Without a doubt, it’s a pleasant guide for all who wish to explore the world of AI with an open mind. Readers will feel his optimism and become encouraged to embrace the world with AI. After all, open discussions have the potential to prepare all for a new-age world where AI and humans live together, bringing more advancement in life. Why not order your copy today and enjoy the wonder-ride. Max Tegmark has craftily presented his optimistic-take on the growing world of artificial intelligence. And he has been successful in diving the readers deep into the topic from the very prelude. The introduction to “Omegas” surely binds the attention at the very first chance. By the time you go through a few pages of the book, it will engage you to go further into the world of AI and explore both the challenges and possibilities. 43

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With the brilliance of words and presentation skills, Tegmark has given us a view into the future when AI technology will reach a plateau. The way he envisioned billions of years into the future reflects his visionary genius and hope for a world where the whole universe joins in. All the possibilities, explanations, and solutions are incredibly weaved together to ignite our curious minds.

ntelligent beings always rule over the less intelligent species. So, will it affect us when the machines become smarter by acquiring super-intelligence? Will the intelligence explosion be the beginning of our doom or the end of human suffering? The answer is still unknown but requires thorough research and safety measures from researchers and scientists. The fear of AI taking over

the world is prominent among lots of people, including AI researchers. Though the possibilities of such happenings can’t be ignored, Max has urged the readers to look into the matter with a solutionoriented approach. 44

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Seven Facts Nobody Told You About INDUSTRY 4.0

| Vibha Soni

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INDUSTRY 4.0

has been filled with multiple facts and myths. Numerous key points already exist to understand the Industry Revolution. Some of them, you already know, and some of them, you never think about it. Let’s discuss them in this article.

Introduction Advanced technologies are changing the working model in every business. Manufacturing is the root process of interaction. And, the arrival of Industry 4.0 is assisting companies in multiple ways. The Industry 4.0 core technologies such as smart factories, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Augmented 46

Reality, Advanced Human Machine Interfaces, Robots, and 3D technologies are redefining the business sectors. Integrating these technologies is taking Industry 4.0 to a higher level day by day and doing unexpected things. Let see some interesting facts about the industrial revolutions.

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Seven Facts Experts call Industry 4.0 “YOUNG” Technology

Two Contributing Factors - “Digitization” and “Computerization”

Do you know, “Digitization” and “Computerization” are the two main contributors that caused the industry revolutions’ initiative? Here, shifting the manufacturing operations from analog to digital happened due to digitization. It caused the existing processes to change through digital technologies. The outcome of digitization is to provide new value to the customers. Various digital technologies changed the manufacturing operations and initiated digital data and processes within manufacturing units. Computerization of Industry 3.0 caused the adoption of computer systems to automate the procedures and encourage smart decisions without human intervention. In Layman’s words, computer systems’ conversion of information into digital format could be understood automatically and easily interact with other systems. Both played roles in the processing and production of goods in factories after arrival of Industry 4.0.

Two Primary Objectives - Integration and Digitization of “Horizontal and Vertical Value Chain”

We all know that “Horizontal” and “Vertical” value chains are two competitive strategies within industries. The integration and digitization of these strategies is the primary reason behind the revolution of industry 4.0. The horizontal value chain focuses on capturing other companies working in the same sector, while the vertical value chain controls all industrial processes. The long-term benefits of this integration have been analyzed and executed through the Industry revolution. Digitization played a critical role in this integration. The biggest e-commerce company, Amazon, is the best example who achieved this objective. Amazon already acquired other companies for the execution of various business processes. For instance, “Amazon Pay” came into existence due to the “Paypal” tie-up. Besides, Amazon has been running all its manufacturing processes itself vertically. E-commerce companies should have to learn from Amazon, which has implemented Industry 4.0 successfully.

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Two Primary Mass Customization Factors - “Smart Factory” and “3D Technology”

You must be aware that Industry 3.0 was focusing only on mass production. The rapid development of digital technologies has started the rising common people’s demands. The industries were looking for solutions that can offer more customized solutions to fulfill the customers’ needs. Industry 4.0 came up with this solution, mass customization, and mass production in a cost-effective manner. The “Smart factory” and “3D technology” are two primary technologies behind this personalization. Radical robotics, smart sensors, robust cybersecurity, cloud computing, and big data analytics build smart factories. All these are increasing manufacturing productivity within factories. Another side, 3D printing, 3D configuration, and 3D visualization are bringing innovation in customizations. For instance, 3D visualization permits you to visualize products in 3D view on Amazon. The 3D configuration offers you to purchase a product according to need, make adjustments on products, and analyze the overall costs. 3D technology permits people to customize their choices and get desired things at an affordable price. A survey found that mass customization increased sales by 30% and conversation rates by 40%.

Two Automation “Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)” and “Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR)”

Industry 4.0 has been initiated to bring automation in supply chain processes in enterprises. Automation is helping companies to achieve continuous growth. Automation happened because of a robot that can do tasks like a human being. You already heard the word “Automated Guided Vehicle,” a robot that changes the way of 49

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manufacturing in factories. Development in mobile technologies brought the concept of the “Autonomous Mobile Robots”. Now, AGV and AMR are optimizing the supply chain operations. It is reducing the cost of maintaining the warehouse and distribution centers with additional equipment. The flexibility of both robots is supporting operations in picking, packaging, placement, and delivery. According to the latest report, these robots’ market will be increased upto $13.2 Billion in 2026 with a growth rate of 35%.

Two Critical Transformation Process Factors “Taxes” and “Legal Challenges”

The transformation from small to medium business towards Industry 4.0 follows multiple stages. Various factors need to consider during change. Pricing, standardizations, platforms, etc., common factors, and every technology transformation check out these factors. Companies often overlook two critical elements, “Taxes” and “Legal challenges,” while adopting industry revolutions. Industry revolution is not stuck with one country. It is happening across the world, and industries are expanding business globally. Variation in countries’ constitutions and legal environment is a complex factor. Ignorance of this factor during transformation is unable to generate the desired output. It has been found that in industries, non-tech executives or experts makes final decisions on technological decisions. These groups are not aware of the legal framework associated with technological advancement. It causes issues during the shifting of the traditional factory to the smart factory. Industry 4.0 transformation must have to adopt a legal framework according to need to technologies. Similarly, controlling taxation is vital as ignorance of this might cause problems in effective resource management. The various tools and platforms of countries might impact the efficiency of new implementation in the case when it has been misused or ignored. A fair financial management among shareholders needs control on tax collection and support effective management of resources.

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Two Big Myths - “Reduction in Human Jobs” and “Highly Expensive”

Word “Industry 4.0” came with two phrases, “reduction in human jobs” and “highly expensive”. The reality is that these two are myths and most often considered as challenges. People only translate these phrases without understanding the deeper meaning. It is a fact that every technology causes a reduction in the human job. So, how Industry 4.0 would be more responsible for human job reductions? Industry 4.0 focuses on mass customization and production through automation that might cause a high reduction in human jobs. However, we should have to think another side of automation that it is time to develop skills according to the technology trends. If you are unable to do this, it might be possible that you will encounter a loss in the job after some time. Understand one line; automation has one objective: to reduce physical and time-consuming works through tools and technologies. The arrival of those tools needs human groups for execution and training. Industry 4.0 has been bringing multiple career opportunities. So, prepare yourself to start a new career of interest. Industry 4.0 has certain pillar technologies to bring innovations, productivity, and proficiency across multiple business sectors. It has been assumed that the implementation needs huge capital, making it difficult to purchase all technologies. You are already aware that internet-based services are inexpensive. Cloud computing services are providing sharable platforms and tools for the execution of business operations. And, most important, you don’t need to adopt all the featured technologies during transformation. So, it has been suggested that you analyze your business, take advice from experts, and find suitable technologies. Multiple options are available for selecting inexpensive technologies. Thus, replace the phrase “Highly expensive” with the new phrase “smart investment at lower prices”.

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Two Skills “Complex Problem Solving” and “Critical Thinking”

We all know the word STEM, “Science, Technology, Engineering, Math” and its importance. The interesting thing is that it is also linked with the Industry revolution. When the fourth industry evolution started, no one thought it would become necessary in manufacturing in few years. It has been observed that the demand for STEM in manufacturing is getting increasing. We can say this is an essential skill for working in Industry 4.0 environment. Besides this, two skills, “Complex Problem Solving” and “Critical Thinking” achieve growth globally. Companies transform their traditional processes into Industry 4.0 to accomplish specific objectives and solving problems. They seek these skills in their people, so it becomes easy to implement the new system. People can either build these skills if they want to remain competitive in this field. Companies can also use some training programs for the development of these skills. Digital knowledge and literacy are the only options to adopt Industry 4.0 successfully.

Summary The growth of big data analytics, Internet of Things, cutting-edge technologies, etc. are leading to changes in the supply chain and manufacturing. At present, we are in the midst of Industry 4.0 development, and due to this, experts call Industry 4.0 “young” technology. It means it is developing every day. We have seen various factors related to development, execution, transformation, challenges, opportunities, and skills associated with Industry 4.0 or Industrial data transformation. Knowing these facts would help you understand Industry 4.0 and how it supports various industries to improve their industrial performance.

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Aditi Gupta

diti Gupta, Founder of Menstrupedia, has been working relentlessly to educate women about menstruation, menstrual hygiene, and myths associated with it. She is the creative mind behind the company that revolutionized the lives of girls and women. Ms. Gupta is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and made it to the achiever’s list of Forbes India 30 under

Menstrupedia

Ms. Gupta is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and made it to the achiever’s list of Forbes India 30 under 30 in 2014 to break the taboo around menstruation.

30 in 2014 to break the taboo around menstruation. She is an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC, and BBC. She aspires to create a future where menstruation is not a taboo but a welcoming change in a girl’s life. We discuss with her the fascinating story of Menstrupedia. 53

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Techfastly: Hello, Aditi. Thank you for joining us. I am excited to learn about your journey and how you built an empire for yourself. Talking about menstruation is taboo, especially in a country like India. What gave you the motivation as a young girl to come out in the open and talk about this topic? When I first got my periods, I was unaware of menstrual hygiene or menstruation. After meeting my husband, Tuhin, we realized the absence of menstrual education even in highly educated women. That gave us the motivation to begin working on something to spread awareness about menstruation. We created a prototype to explain menstruation through a comic medium, using characters and stories, and tested it with young girls. We received a very positive response. What were your struggles? How did you reach out to investors? One hardship that we initially faced was raising funds. The moment we’d say that we want to do something related to menstruation and create an educational tool, people would tell me that there is absolutely no market or ask if we were an NGO. We had a hard time convincing an investor that this is something that’s going to work. 54

When we launched our crowdfunding campaign, we only had two months of run time to survive. We received a fantastic response from people, and our users loved what we were doing. It was a litmus test for us, but finally, we raised more than we wanted to raise. The comic has a lot of information illustrated beautifully. There are various sources to gather information; technology has made it easier. How did you determine which information or facts were accurate? How do you decide what information should be shared? When it comes to factual information, we work with gynecologists and parents, especially mothers. The content is tested with medical experts, psychiatrists, parents, and definitely with users at each stage. We are launching a book on “boys’ puberty” which took almost three years to finish. If you ask how do I select what information should be there, then I will say that a lot of work goes around to collect the right kind of information. Our entire design process comprises of user’s study. We go into the field, ask what their requirement is, their pressing questions, and then we validate the assumptions. We then curate the content. During the entire process, we do involve users. We do ensure that the right information reaches the right people.

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That’s great. I am sure it is reliving for many consumers that the comic’s information is factually correct. If I am not wrong, you first started as a graphic comic book. Was there a particular reason behind it? I believe it is not about in which medium information is available, but the question is about accessibility. The major challenge was to reach out to the majority of the people with this information. That is why we chose the medium of print media; you don’t need electricity or an internet connection to get accessibility. We had the knowledge and infrastructure to create a lot of different things. Gradually, we built on the rest of the infrastructure. We created a YouTube Channel, launched the comic book’s digital medium,

and all the accessibility modules in a downloadable format. Now that you have launched Menstrupedia in both digital and physical form. How do you determine the outreach? You can always count the number of copies you sold and the number of schools you acquired for the physical copies. Although, in some schools, they issue the comic to girls in batches. It is somewhat challenging to put an exact number of readers. We focus on how many downloads, views we have, and how many e-books we sold to figure out the outreach via digital medium. Moreover, we track the unique users that visit the website.

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Tell us about the shift in people’s mentality feel uncomfortable with a girl reading a after Menstrupedia was launched? comic book or a book on menstruation in front of them; something like this has not Before Menstrupedia was launched, if happened before. you see any website, any conversation about menstruation, it would always We made sure that the illustrations show menstruation in a negative light or educated girls but in no way awkward something to be ashamed of. Although, for teachers or parents to explain. The after Menstrupedia was launched, it was audience well accepted the comic, which cool to talk about menstruation, brands helped us convince more schools to adopt started showing the positive side of them. menstruation, and red became a part of sanitary napkin commercials. Currently, you have focused on schools to reach out to younger girls and educate At that time, Menstrupedia was the only them. Do you plan to expand your horizon platform that was allowing people to have by collaborating with institutes like that safe space to publish their stories Whitehat Jr. or Byju’s? and talk about menstruation via our blog. These stories are compelling because I think Byju’s and WhiteHat Jr. should everyone can relate to these stories, and definitely do a module on menstruation. nobody was talking about them. Soon, the We would love to work with them. We have brand picked up. not explored this thing yet, but there is a scope. There should always be a chapter Menstrupedia is recommended to children on menstruation if your platform has kids aged above 9. However, in India, schools who are nine-year and above. Puberty do not even hint about sex education education should be a part of every to children aged below 13. You have module. Once the kids feel comfortable collaboration with over 10,000 schools. in their bodies, they excel at so many How did you convince them to allow different things. educating about ‘menstruation’ at an early age? The comic has very basic information about menstruation meant for a nine-yearold. We understood our culture, and we were very particular about that. We are going to be aligned with the gatekeepers. What does this mean? This means that a school principal or a teacher should not 57

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We created a prototype to explain menstruation through a comic medium, using characters and stories, and tested it with young girls.

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There are several apps related to ‘Period Tracking’ in the market. Do you plan on launching an app related to menstrual education? Or do you plan on collaborating with existing apps? Yes, we were trying to work on a ‘Period App’. But we are a small company with limited resources. We will eventually make a ‘Period App’, it will be very different from what we have in market now. It will cater to the current usage. We are also planning to come up with ‘Puberty Education App’. We would be launching an app around menstrual hygiene this year, probably in May. What is your vision with Menstrupedia going forward? I would say that Menstrupedia’s responsibility is to raise a generation of women who are free of menstrual taboo and to raise a generation of boys who are responsible fathers and more empathetic men. I believe that is how the whole social fabric would be fixed, and we want to do it by raising the fathers and raising the mothers. What do I mean by that? We want to do so by teaching the girls and boys in the current time, so when they become mothers and fathers, they create a very different world for their children. We want to do it for every child -that is our vision. The sex education scenario in India is completely broken, and Menstrupedia is the only chance for India to fix the broken sex education system. We know the recipe; we know how to make people talk out in the open without hesitating. We want to do books on pregnancy, childbearing, contraceptives, intercourse, and so many other topics.

Thank you for taking out time to do this interview, Aditi.

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What is an AI Factory? | Anupriya Asthana

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Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad branch of computer science capable of running systems independently and intelligently. In the current world, AI has become a significant component in many sectors, such as healthcare, manufacturing, finance, etc. Marco Lansiti and Karim Lakhani have written in their book Competing in the Age of AI, no field of human endeavor will remain independent of artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is defining a new age in business, the AI age. It has offered colossal growth and success to companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Alibaba, etc. Start-ups are actively incorporating AI in their business for understanding demands and establishing a new market.

AI technologies are based on algorithms trained from previous observations to make better outcome predictions.

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What is an AI Factory? The combination of people, data, product, process, and platform to drive business values is an AI factory. AI technologies are based on algorithms trained from previous observations to make better outcome predictions. This technology is known as machine learning. It is capable of creating AI factories. The useful data is collected from sources (internal and external both), and machine learning algorithms are trained to make predictions and give output on tasks. The algorithms can automate tasks such as content recommendation, testing of new hypotheses, etc. The predictions made by machine learning algorithms are beneficial in diagnosing disease and its treatment. These algorithms can work with little or no human intervention. 63

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The AI factory improves the system by adding new features to existing products or by building new products. This enhances company performance, increases growth, and offers a better market. Lansiti and Lakhani have written in their book Competing in the Age of AI, “The AI factory creates a virtuous cycle between user engagement, data collection, algorithm design, prediction, and improvement.” Entrepreneurs have been calculating, studying, and making changes for better results. But the process is evolving drastically with AI factories. The fields of computer vision and natural language processing are getting recognition due to AI factories. As per the authors of the book, Competing in the Age of AI, Ant Financial provides a wide range of financial services to millions of customers with just 9000 employees and an AI factory. Similarly, Bank of America is serving millions of customers with an AI64 driven virtual assistant, Erica.

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The Infrastructure of an AI Factory The performance of machine learning algorithms depends on the quality and quantity of data.

ata is a crucial element for machine learning algorithms. It can be considered as a fuel of AI factories. Collection of useful data and feeding it into frameworks and models is the foremost step. Data acts as a case or example that the algorithms require to solve any problem and make predictions. The performance of machine learning algorithms depends on the quality and quantity of data. Data act as the input for the algorithms to train systems and give output. The accuracy and performance of algorithms are highly dependent on the quality of the data. Hence, the pre-processing of data is done before feeding it to the machine learning algorithms. Machine learning dataset resources are responsible for gathering the required data type for the processing.

Depending upon the task, data is collected and transformed. Machine learning algorithms work on four types of data: text, numerical, time series, and categorical. Sometimes information is gathered from external sources like the stock market, social media, etc. In a recent pandemic, machine learning is helping healthcare workers in diagnosing COVID-19 patients. AI systems have also played a role in finding its cure. Data pipeline consolidates data from different sources. It is a set of processes and components that collects, cleans, integrates, processes, and stores the AI system’s data. The requirement of manual effort is significantly less with the data pipeline. They work in a sustainable, systematic, and scalable way.

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Few challenges involved in AI Factory are: · · · ·

Establishment of correct metrics Establishment of supervised algorithms To tackle the running experiments Result validations

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Top Companies using AI Factories

capabilities like demand planning, intelligent maintenance, and quality inspection have already been used in various sectors. Some of them are consumer products, automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturing.

The top companies already in the path of using AI factories (based on the study done by Capgemini) are: · · · · ·

General Motors BMW Carlsberg Nokia Kellogg’s

· · · · ·

Nissan Thales SA Canon Bombardier Boeing

Netflix is another example that is using AI, machine learning. The company uses artificial intelligence algorithms to suggest movie recommendations to customers, personalized thumbnails, streaming quality, etc. Microsoft’s AI factory program is designed to support start-ups and companies by offering technical support, software licensing, etc. Few startups associated with this program are: · · · ·

AB Tasty Recast.AI Scortex DC Brain

· · ·

Case Law Analytics Craft AI Hugging Faces

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Benefits of AI in the Manufacturing Market and the Impact of AI on Labor Jobs Artificial Intelligence offers 24/7 manufacturing in factories without human labor. They have the potential to perform with less or without electricity. Robots are ending workplace accidents and giving significant production at less cost. AI is the future of factories involved in high-risk manufacturing. Cost-reduction, quick decision-making, and security are the broad advantages of AI factories. Since there are so many advantages with AI, the question arises, will AI impact current labor jobs? A study on over 1K companies globally on the impact of AI implementation on labor jobs revealed that laborers might be required more than before. The collaboration of humans with AI systems can level-up the performance. This may also generate new categories of jobs. The fully automated manufacturing units, in-fact, might reduce production. After observing a reduced number of vehicles, Tesla figured out the cause is full automation. “Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake,” Elon Musk tweeted.

Hence, humans are required even in AI factories but with enhanced skills and knowledge.

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Some Books to to For Some Books to Refer a Better of AI Refer toUnderstanding For a Better Factory Understanding of AI Lansiti and Lakhani discuss the key factors involved in the AI factory in their book Competing in the Age of AI, such as data pipelines, developing algorithms, testing new data, making predictions, etc. The book contains several valuable case studies to explain AI Factories. A common example of an AI factory given by authors is search engines, “A search engine like Google or Bing. As soon as the user types a few letters in the search box, algorithms dynamically predict the full search term based on prior search terms and the user’s past actions.” “Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI” by Daugherty & Wilson is another book that has presented how organizations use AI in innovations and gain profitability.

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Conclusion The right implementation and correct combination of AI and humans can offer tremendous results. It can boost production, minimize cost, end accidents, offer new markets, increase growth, etc. Artificial intelligence is the future of factories.

As per the Forbes report, out of five business executives, four agreed that AI has already started transforming the workflows intelligently. The future is smart, and it’s the beginning of a new era where every company will run by an AI factory.

Factories dealing in automobiles, logistics, and other technologies-based companies are in the forefront of adopting artificial intelligence. In a current competitive world, technology alone is no more sufficient for significant results. AI makes the system intelligent, gives smartness to perform effectively in less time.

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Will

| Suman Bambhniya

Artificial Intelligence

Be an Emotional Catastrophe?

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For the general public, ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) simply means computer-operated things. Not many are familiar with the exact meaning of the term AI, but they use AI-based services as a daily part of their life. For them, robots and self-driven cars are primary examples. In 2017, not many educational institutes provided AI-based courses like Machine Learning (ML) or Data Science as its potential to impact every sector was not commonly known. The current market trend shows a rapid increase in AI deployment. Now, the world without AI may appear stone-age. From home to the health-care industry, AI marks its permanent footprint everywhere. It is our partner in daily activities. Today, AI is no longer an option but a requisite for simpler living.

Though AI proved beneficial in multiple sectors, a few myths and major reliability expectations spark a debate on AI.

Here are the top 3 reasons assumed for AI to be an emotional catastrophe

1. Unemployment Current and future job expectations seem to see-saw in the market. Some current employees and workers feel threatened by the dominance of AI-based technology. People with an average living standard are more doubtful to secure employment, and advanced courses or higher study requirements have affected job eligibility. In contrast, some believe AI to create different job opportunities in the future, but limited. One machine is assumed to equal 100 laborers. Human interference is less as AI-based machines can perform repetitive tasks efficiently. Innovations like augmented-reality, medical sensors are rapidly transforming the world and hence AI-based courses are highly preferred. In all sectors, from medical to financial, AI appears to improve its application and is leading to competitive market growth. According to ‘The Future of Jobs Report 2020’ by the World Economic Forum, in future, only those job applicants with relevant skills shall be hired or retained for their roles. Whereas, for current employees, re-skilling and upskilling will be a requisite. Automation and global recession together will continue the trend of job losses and demand advanced technologies. To adapt to these changes reskilling and upskilling with AI-based courses will pave the way for the future generation to advanced level.

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Artificial Intelligence specialists seem to be greatly in demand in the future.

By 2025, companies expect to displace roughly 6% of their workforce, and 95 million new roles based on current market change may emerge. Complex problem-solving ability and quicker results of an AI system are preferable for business owners and industrialists to substitute labor. As per Monster.com, the most in-demand skills are programming languages like Java, C++, Hadoop, etc. Artificial Intelligence specialists seem to be greatly in demand in the future.

2. High-Cost Maintenance

The next added concern to human survival is the high-cost maintenance of AIoperated complex machines, computers etc. Adopting a robot instead of a housekeeper may seem fancy, but the maintenance cost would be a concern then. In addition to the primary home appliance maintenance like air-conditioner, washing machine, plumbing, etc, automation maintenance may result in expense imbalance. Within a decade, several top companies will adopt automatic voice control system. $200 million funds by Amazon’s Alexa is already deepening its roots for smart voice control technology. AI technology application is increasing rapidly in all the sectors and is used as a vital tool in marketing. Taking the medical sector, patients have to compromise with the treatment method. Though robotic surgery is available in good hospitals, they hesitate due to unaffordable treatment costs. Predicting the running and replacement cost shall be a priority if AI majorly controls the vital activities. The range of factors and features that influence AI maintenance costs are: 1. Chatbots 2. Virtual assistants 3. Project type like Drift, HubSpot, or TARS 4. Data format 5. Data storage 6. Data structure (unstructured or structured) 7. Data processing speed 8. Dashboard requirements 9. Data visualization

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3. Automated Weapon “Humans misused micro-livings to develop a biological weapon and atomic power as a nuclear weapon. Similarly, there is a rising danger of automated weapon misusing AI tech-tricks”, many researchers warn. The super-intelligence of automation technology has inspired many films and novels. Max Planck Institute of Human Development had released the ‘Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research’ according to which controlling the super-intelligent machines would not be possible. “It sounds fascinating science-fiction, but there exist machines which are programmed to learn and handle operations independently.” Machine learning and AI’s decisionmaking capability in the military application is advancing. Selfdriven technologies like remotelypiloted vehicles can replace military soldiers for their protection, but data poisoning by malicious inputs to the system can prove lethal.

“Everything we love about civilization is a product of intelligence, so amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilization flourish like never before – as long as we manage to keep the technology beneficial.” - Max Tegmark.

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Praising and Cursing the AI Imagine the consequences of AI absenteeism when the pandemic hit humans. From filters for face beautification to online meetings, the AI tech-tricks did facilitate all. Few beneficial contributions of AI are:

• • • • • •

Risk substitution for humans in a hostile environment. E-commerce studying their customers better. Security and Surveillance. Manufacturing and Production for repetitive tasks. Health-care industry using robotic surgery. Marketing tools.

Earlier, we could directly connect with the opposite person on call for customer service, but today ‘Chatbots’ are overtaking. On dialing the customer service number, we initially have an extended consultation with robots and, at last, connect to a human. One smart example is cleverbot.com, which remarkably pretends to be a real human. “Everything we love about civilization is a product of intelligence, so amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilization flourish like never before – as long as we manage to keep the technology beneficial.” - Max Tegmark. This article does not focus on the deprivation due to Artificial Intelligence but the certainty of human inputs moulding AI technology. It has its own benefits and drawbacks.

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Chatbots: | Akanksha Shetti

A Journey towards Embracing Conversational AI 79

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

In today’s tech-savvy world, humans are hooked to machines, and machines are learning! Conversational Artificial Intelligence like chatbots and voice assistants have already made their way into our personal and professional lives. When integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) devices, these can interact with humans using automated speech recognition. Needless to say, the chatbot journey, from a rule-based ELIZA to AI-powered NLP-driven ALEXA (and Siri), is nothing but enthralling. With 2020 spinning the wheel of uncertainty worldwide with the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations were forced to go digital and think of accelerating the pace of AI innovation to improve both employee and customer experiences. Let’s take a deep dive at how AI, along with the need to go ‘codeless’ is changing the way we communicate and what the future holds.

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The Chatbot Saga It all started when Alan Turing questioned ‘If machines can think?’ and introduced the Turing test in 1950 - a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Following the lead, Joseph Weizenbaum of MIT developed ELIZA in 1966, the world’s first rule-based chatbot, and multiple variations of chatbots were developed and deployed. However, these Rule-based chatbots being highly menu/button based and with limited human understanding, created a paradox of command, leaving users frustrated and no major valueadded. Though these types of chatbots use Natural Language Processing (NLP), using if/then logic to create conversational flows made interactions very specific and structured, and restricted to basic capabilities. They lacked the human touch and intelligence to adapt and learn.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

It all started when Alan Turing questioned ‘If machines can think?’

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Swinging the Needle from Rule-based to AI ML-driven Conversations

umans are social animals and love communicating. A chatbot is a program you can talk to and have a backand-forth conversation. They converse using NLP and NLU – they ingest, comprehend, and determine the appropriate response in a language the user will understand. Add a personality, and you can make the chatbot seem real. Today’s world is online all the time, and the one thing that today’s millennials love the most is Quality-at-speed. They tend to get frustrated easily and lose interest if they find something, not as per their whims and fancies. Do you want to search for a product? Do you want to play a song? Would you rather work through a maze of websites, products, and content offerings, or just ask a bot to process the info you need within a second. The chatbots more or less work on the design mantra - Your wish is my command.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Chat. Learn. Evolve. The Next-gen Conversational AI Bots Customer is the king, and customer service is a numero uno factor for any organization to succeed. In an attempt to exempt human service desks from the time-consuming, repetitive tasks, chatbots came into existence. The chatbots reduced the need for human intervention and helped organizations achieve multiple business values like faster time to market, improved ROI, and reduced cost and effort. As per Gartner, a chatbot is able to answer within 5 seconds of customer contact, while the average advisor took 51 seconds. A penny saved is a penny earned, indeed! With great power comes great responsibility. Eventually, with advancements in technology and the onset of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning; new functionalities were added, and virtual assistants saw the light of the day and revolutionized the way organizations interact with customers. Unlike the rule-based chatbots, these AI and ML powered chatbots are more conversational and focus on being interaction-oriented instead of taskoriented. We are now surrounded by Conversational assistants - AIpowered programs that interact with users just like any other human being using NLP. Siri by Apple, Google Assistant by Google, Cortana by Microsoft came into existence. With Amazon Alexa and Google Home, voice conversations between humans and bots became a reality. 84

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Business Impact: Conversational AI is a Big Bang for the Buck Organizations realize the value of conversational bots and their impact on customer engagement in the enterprise functions, especially across customer service centers, contact centers, sales, and marketing. Apart from just a digital presence, this digital world needs intelligent digital communication to craft a more effective and personalized customer experience. There is a rapid trend of chatbot adoption across service industries.

Immediate customer interactions Fueling AI Innovation with at a reduced cost: These intelligent codeless experience: Creating a chatbots are available 24/7 and resolve majority of the initial level context-based queries, enabling enterprises to service more customers without increasing their overheads.

Maximize employee productivity: By automating the

conversational AI chatbot solution can be complex and time-consuming. With codeless experience gaining momentum and starting to change the landscape of innovation, there is a plethora of Bot development platforms available today enabling enterprises to scale up the digital ladder with agility.

mundane tasks, conversational chatbots reduce human involvement, thereby freeing up employee time to tackle sensitive human-centric tasks. WeChat Open Platform, Microsoft Bot Framework, Facebook Messenger Platform, Pandorabots Platform, Kore.ai Platform, and Watson Assistant SDK; these platforms have basic support for natural language processing (NLP).

Chatbots are now empowering humanity with automated, real-time, and on-demand decisions and services with sophistication and empathy. From limited scope to dynamic learning and personalized experience, it’s a journey from proscriptive to prescriptive

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Chat. Learn. Evolve.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

A Whole New Customer Experience in a Whole New World The COVID-19 crisis disrupted the way businesses functioned. With worldwide shutdown and travel restrictions, everything and everyone went online. Touchless experiences and services became the need of the hour. Businesses were forced to quickly go digital to stay connected with the employees, keep the interactions with the customers open, and provide online services all at the same time. With such drastic disruptions, organizations focused on the importance of digital self-service, automation, and artificial intelligence and paved ways for new opportunities. NLP and ML will become more powerful, and chatbots will not only respond to answer your questions, but will be able to talk, think, and develop emotional relationships with users. Chatbots will ultimately become every organizations’ first responders and first-line-of-interactions. Empowering the chatbots with such real-time capabilities using the new-age intelligent technologies helps realize the true business value and empowers the organizations in providing value to the customer. In this post-COVID new-normal world, the enterprise chatbot platforms will gain more momentum irrespective of the industry type. AI continues to be the most popular trend in delivering personalized experiences in real-time. Businesses must adapt and integrate technology into business processes in order to keep up with the competitive edge in this technologically evolving environment. This digital transformation will generate significant value to users, and organizations transforming the aspect of communication.

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The enterprise chatbot platforms will gain more momentum irrespective of the industry type.

The Bottom Line

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Honoring all euphoria and hopes, one cannot deny the current limitations and challenges. Remember Microsoft’s Tay – a Twitter bot that had to be shut down within 24 hours of its launch due to its incapability of handling diversity and lack of understanding of inappropriate and sensitive human language. It was a classic example of AL ML gone awry. Nevertheless, Conversational AI is the new bizmeth. By creating the right set of solutions, chatbots help enhance customer interactions and improved CX (Customer Experience) at a reduced cost. Powered with such nimble-witted features, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

The bot wave is still evolving, and innovation knows no bounds. New innovative and disruptive chatbot strategies will emerge, and possible use cases will be limitless. With the rapid advancements across natural language processing and machine learning, the futuristic chatbots could be amped up with Emotional Intelligence providing leading-edge solutions and personalized experiences that are customized to the industry’s need. Did you know Microsoft has been granted a patent for a chatbot that can take on the personality of real people? It says that the chatbot could be implemented to recreate and imitate even dead people. A truly sci-fi conversational experience along with greater technological strides in ease and communications await us.

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The Future of Robots and Work | Apurva Minchekar

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

The future of technology and its advancement is unpredictable. With the increasing proliferation of technology in human lives, Robots taking over human beings’ jobs in the future is nearly possible. The primary reason for introducing the traditional robots in human lives was to overcome the physiological limitations and help in heavy lifting works. However, many tech experts have predicted that new robots’ development seems to replace humans in their workplace by upgrading and expanding their skills.

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Why Do Enterprises Choose Robots Over Human Labor?

Productivity Level

Production Time

The productivity level of humans can clash anytime because of stress, burnout, or overworking. However, robots can work with increased productivity levels without costing the enterprise more than before. Considering that robots can only perform tasks and follow orders, the employees can add more value to the enterprise with strategic thinking and policies to leverage the enterprise in the market.

Unlike humans, robots can work faster to keep the pace of the production process. Robots can deliver results more quickly than an employee in a shorter time. One of the significant advantages of choosing robots over human labor is that robots can work without taking breaks.

Production Quality It is needless to say that humans can perform tasks accurately than robots. However, by training robots with the same movements and functions, it can yield consistent results.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Robots taking over human beings’ jobs in the future is nearly possible.

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Why There is a Rapid Acceleration in the Development of Robots? The new advancement and programming in robots are training them to think and function, similar to humans. Many enterprises and investors are driven towards focusing time and budget on robots innovation because of the following reasons:

Robotic Operating System (ROS)

Sensor Technology

Prototyping

The rise of mobile computing has added value to robot developments. The sensor technology used in robot’s development makes them capable of seeing, touching, hearing, feeling, and moving like humans. With no additional cost, robots can function 9 4 similarly to humans, which is costeffective and efficient.

ROS is a standard operating system in the development of robots. One of the primary reasons for the rise of Robotic technologies could be the introduction of ROS. ROS is a free and open-source, accessible to robot developers to create flexible frameworks for robots. ROS is not only limited to robots but can also be used in working with auxiliary devices.

Robots are designed for rapid prototyping to break down complex processes into simpler ones. One of the rapid prototyping many robotic experts are looking forward to is the development of 3D printers.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Rise of Robotic Technologies 95

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Which Job Profiles Can be Taken Over by Robots? Based on Robots’ developments and advancement, many experts have predicted a few job profiles likely to have more robots and fewer humans.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

Telemarketing Telemarketing is one of the job profiles that AI robots can take over in the coming years. Robots can successfully replace humans if trained accurately to understand what consumers mean and what they are looking for. Many countries, such as China, have developed AI-powered voice bots for speech recognition and generation.

Data Entry Data Entry is one type of monotonous job performed by employees based anywhere. If AI robots are trained to function this daily monotonous job profile, robots can perform the tasks accurately for less money.

Librarians To perform a Librarian profile, the employee must be aware of books available in the library and their placements. By training AI robots in tracking the available books in the library, there will be no need for librarians.

Film and Photograph Processor Like smartphones disrupted human lives, making it part of human routine lives, Robots are also likely to take over profiles in film and photograph processing in the industry because of the sensor technology used to perform like humans.

Factory Worker Factory Worker job profiles are usually the same movement of human labor. Training robots to perform the same movement work will enhance the production time and the quality of the enterprise.

Accountant The job of an accountant mainly includes accounting taxes, business budgeting, and data-related work. High tech AI robots trained to analyze data can effectively perform accountant tasks. 97

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Will Robots Take Over Human Jobs? A Myth or Fact

Humans create and train robots to perform from simple to complex processes. With digital transformation and technology advancements, no technology can be compared with human intelligence. There are many tasks that robots cannot perform because of imperfections in craftsmanship. Robots can take over human jobs. However, many professions such as Doctor, Marketer, Defense, and more cannot be replaced.

MARCH 2021 ISSUE

With this never-ending debate of whether robots will take over human jobs, one must always remember that robots are built to follow the orders and have no brain that equals the human brain’s intelligence.

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