In July 2023, Wipro made a $1 billion announcement in its ai360 ecosystem, designed to infuse artificial intelligence (AI) into every solution, tool, and process the company uses internally and delivers to clients.
This move highlighted Wipro’s recognition that the future hinges not just on cutting-edge technology, but also on the human capital that will wield it.
Since then, Wipro has trained nearly all employees in AI and has made upskilling and reskilling a cornerstone of its business strategy.
What’s driving this strategy? A deep belief that AI will reshape how we develop technology and deliver services to clients.
Advances in AI and particularly Generative AI (GenAI) have changed the playing field when it comes to what will be required and expected of engineering talent in the future.
In a world where AI can write code, the role of the software engineer will be reinvented. As AI augments more of the basic tasks across other jobs, future professionals will need to build deeper business and communications skills, such as listening and problem solving, as well as specific domain expertise that leverages AI to solve complex business problems.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, technology will transform more than one billion jobs within the decade.
As roles transform, new jobs — such as AI prompt engineers, language model trainers, and ethical AI specialists — will be created. Cross-disciplinary capabilities, analytical skills, adaptability, and an ability to see the bigger picture will be critical to success.
While technical skills in machine learning, natural language processing, and deep learning will become increasingly more valuable, a broader understanding of how the technology is applied to real world problems to build ethical, responsible solutions will be just as important.
A one-size-fits-all approach to talent is no longer acceptable.
This is why Wipro is increasingly looking at the talent puzzle from a holistic lens, building a talent strategy for the next decade by mapping out persona-based training programs and career paths for every category of employee from entry level to senior positions — so each employee can carve out their unique paths and build future-proof careers.
Continuous learning and cross-skilling are essential to building future-ready workforces.
Since July 2023, Wipro has trained more than 225,000 employees on basic GenAI fundamentals, while more than 30,000 employees have been trained on more advanced levels of AI based on their roles and personas. Wipro is also working with its ai360 ecosystem of partners to provide associates with ongoing specialized learning pathways with partners like AWS, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
Further, we are partnering with top schools across India to fuel innovation in GenAI and nurture future talent. The Center of Excellence on GenAI launched in partnership with IIT Delhi is just one example of Wipro’s commitment to driving ongoing innovation in emerging technologies as part of the company’s $1 billion investment in the ai360 ecosystem.
More recently, the company has entered a partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to offer employees a Masters in Technology program, which will focus on key areas such as AI, foundations of ML/AI, data science, and business analytics to help sharpen technical skills in these high-growth areas.
Finally, a deep domain and consulting expertise built both through organic and inorganic investments is also proving to be a true differentiator for Wipro in cross-skilling employees.
Leveraging this deep domain and consulting expertise, the company is mapping delivery team leads to domain and consulting experts to enhance business acumen and industry knowledge across teams. Ultimately, the goal is to deepen business understanding and better leverage technology to solve very specific business problems.
A vibrant and engaged talent culture requires linking career aspirations with ongoing learning to achieve long-term goals.
Wipro’s investments in its talent go beyond reskilling and training. The company is increasingly linking learning and development to career management, creating a holistic approach to career development that benefits both employees and the organization. Recently launched AI-powered Talent Marketplace, for example, places Wipro associates at the center and democratizes access to global projects. By matching associates’ skills and growth goals to existing client demands, the Talent Marketplace empowers associates to actively chart their career paths, find new growth opportunities, and realize their ambitions.
Ultimately, thriving in an AI-driven future will require us to infuse the technology into everything we do and apply it to our everyday work.
Since the launch of ai360 last July, Wipro has been rigorously infusing AI technology into all its processes and tools to empower employees to enhance productivity and value, and to significantly improve the employee experience across the organization.
As an example, working with its venture company, Avaamo, Wipro built a cognitive chatbot that has changed how employees work and interact with its systems. From simplifying leave management to updating time sheets and managing tasks, Wipro’s cognitive chatbot now covers more than 40 diverse use cases, handling around 7 million queries since January 2023 with over 90 percent% accuracy.
Further, Wipro has rolled out an internal GenAI (Lab45 AI platform) platform that enables employees across functions like HR, marketing, and IT to increase productivity and enhance their outputs. HR teams have been using GenAI to streamline candidate background verification processes. Marketing and sales teams have been using it to create content. Wipro engineers have been leveraging GenAI for software development and lifecycle automation, leading to significant productivity gains and execution at scale.
Wipro is committed to investing in its talent to ensure they are ready to embrace the future with confidence.
Wipro has long taken pride in building home-grown leaders and providing employees with fulfilling and rewarding career paths. With the advent of AI, the company is continuing this promise and doubling down on its goal of building a diverse, empowered, and high-performance workforce that will help lead the way into an AI-driven future.