As one of the first batch of students to pursue Electronics & Communication engineering in the country, today, Radha has etched her name amongst the most well-renowned industry leaders in the Indian tech community.

In a recent interaction with Indranil Chakraborty, Editor SiliconIndia, Radha gave a brief overview of how the technology ecosystem has developed over the past few decades, and shared her thoughts on how today’s technology leaders and professionals must approach the constantly evolving market landscape. Read on to know about many more such interesting topics.

How has the technology landscape evolved along your career journey so far?

When I was pursuing my engineering degree many years back, there were 2800 male students and 17 female students. But this scenario has changed drastically in recent times, and the number of women pursuing technical education is almost the same as that of men. One of the primary reasons for this change has been the way engineering or technical education is being defined now. What used to be restricted to civil, mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering, has today broadened immensely and even consists of courses in niche tech areas such as computer science and data science. In hardware too, computers which were huge and bulky back then, gradually evolved into laptops, and further into smartphones that we all use today. This ability of hardware today to house massive computational power within a small device/equipment is one of the primary factors driving the technology evolution, resulting in greater reach and inclusion over the last decade.

Tell us about a few recent tech advancements that you feel are the most noteworthy, along with their brief use cases.

Wearable technology is a vertical that has intrigued me immensely over the years, as it keeps a track of numerous parameters of your daily life such as number of steps taken, to number of sleep hours, oxygen levels, and even heart rate. This real-time information and insights have changed the healthcare industry. Additionally, integration of AI and IoT has given rise to multi-modal technologies, especially in the area of imaging, which has seen widespread adoption from healthcare globally. Further, advancements in AI technology have resulted in human intelligence and robotic intelligence working closely towards enabling each other. I feel this is one of the most brilliant things that we humans have been able to experience so far in terms of tech advancements. From a technology product viewpoint, Vision-at-the-Edge is one key tech advancement that will completely disrupt the way most industries function - the combination of advanced imaging and uniquitous computing.

One must ensure that upskilling or upgradation is not limited to one particular area and learn to explore newer avenues of where a particular technology can be put to use in the future

Elaborate on the impact of AI on the healthcare ecosystem in recent times.

Today, AI is witnessing widespread adoption in tech companies, but by other non-technical organizations as well. Enterprise AI, or the way in which AI is being used by various organizations, is among the key driving factors for its scalability, growth and ease of availability in recent times. Some of the key reasons why most organizations today wholeheartedly are embracing AI and making massive investments is because of the opportunity to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, improve forecasting based on past data, and inform decision making. In healthcare, AI is enabling organizations to sift through different kinds of complex data, analyze it, draw-out various patterns and develop multiple models that are trained on different kinds of data. This has helped healthcare organizations to better interpret the conversations with their patients by comparing the collected data with that patient's historical data and diagnosing them more easily, and in a shorter time frame. Thus, AI is making healthcare more affordable and accessible for all sections of society.

As a tech leader, do you think automation technologies such as AI are suppressing the ‘creativity’ among individuals?

The most critical aspect for every individual working closely with AI technology is to be a curious learner and develop certain cognitive and decision-making skills. At iMerit, we always make sure to look for candidates who are creative, curious and eager to learn. Furthermore, I strongly believe that AI makes individuals better, more curious learners, and helps them evolve to the next level if the right soft skills and personality traits are developed within themselves.

Explain the importance of staying up to date with the latest tech advancements for professionals in today's AI and era.

Today, the nature of jobs across almost every sector is undergoing serious transformation due to the rapid introduction of the newer and newer technologies. While staying abreast with the latest market dynamics is essential for any working professional, what is more important is to upskill themselves to work smoothly alongside the latest tech advancements and ensure any upgradation being done to the existing systems or applications do not hinder their productivity. One must ensure this upskilling or upgradation is not limited to one particular area and learn to explore newer avenues where a particular technology can be put to use in the future. To do so, organizations must make sure to create a conducive environment for all employees to explore new areas without fear of failure and provide them with numerous skill development programs and initiatives. We at iMerit use AI to upskill our employees in AI technology through our in-house AI Academy where employees go through a three-month training program and become ready to take up newer, more advanced job roles.