Month That Was (MTW) Unplugged - May-Jun 24

As Microsoft Copilot momentum picks up and new launch around Copilot PC took center-stage, this was an exciiting world of announcements and new releases, Nvidia was in the news for the right reasons and so was Microsoft. With Microsoft Build, everyone was hooked on to the demos and live scenarios as we all see technology defining the new world of business for tomorrow.

This is a month that I got a chance to take some time off as well. I took a 2 week off to travel with family to the state of Sikkim in Eastern India. The state is a world in itself, a world full of new experiences, lovely people, great food, great outdoors and inclusive society. The slow pace of experiencing the state is something that I will remember for a long time and cherish the memories forever. I did pen a blog on this and had published a post too sharing my reflections and learnings from this travel. In case you missed that, you can read it here - https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/sachinbery_sikkim-vacation-learnings-activity-7204485230794027009-uMW0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Food for thought

Have you even wondered why GenAI use cases focuses more on Photos & Videos? We discussed the relevance of visualizations in various industries and functions including marketing, sales, and back-end operations. I mentioned the possibility of creating models and walkthroughs of warehouses and inventory using text and images. Here are my views

Updates from Microsoft

• The most important announcemyt which was received with mixed reactions, was the release of "Copilot + PC" ushering in a new era of an AI powered PC. The tagline was catching everyone's attention - "The fastest most intelligent Windows PCs ever". In case you missed this, you can checkout the Full Keynote: Introducing Copilot+ PCs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZbHd4suAnQ and the launch video here - https://youtu.be/5JmkWJNng2I. If you want to check out a brief summary, you can go to Everything Revealed in 13 Minutes (CNET) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHQgf3DNAr8. We discussed the innovation happening at the bottommost layer on silicon and the wider ecosystem play happening around it. I think and emphasized that the adoption becomes easier and open up avenues for many new business models to work.
• I shared view from the podcast where futurist Amy Webb shares the Most Plausible Outcomes for AI and Work. Firstly, AI isn't coming to work—it's here. What’s much more interesting is how the technology becomes an enabler of other technologies. What they enable going forward is what I would keep my eye on.” Secondly, some leaders may look at AI as a way of managing the bottom line, but there’s a better way: “How does AI increase top line? Where are your new work streams that didn’t exist before? How can you do things that you were not able to do before because you didn’t have time?” Lastly, we’re in the most complex operating environment of the last two decades. Take the time to understand AI so that they make decisions around how and when to adopt AI out of excitement versus fear. You can check out the whole podcast here.
• Similarly, Charles Lamanna podcast on AI’s Next Big Role was a good one. Charles Lamanna is the Corporate Vice President of Business Apps and Platforms at Microsoft. In this episode, he explored how newly announced Microsoft Copilot capabilities help business leaders do more than boost their personal productivity using AI. The key meesage being that they can reinvent their teams and even their entire business. Lamanna also shared how low- and no-code tools are democratizing AI by allowing anyone, not just software developers, to turn their great ideas into products. Check out the podcast here.
• Microsoft Build was the biggest event from MS in the month. In case you missed it, you can still watch it on-demand here. You can also be the first to hear about event updates by signing up for the mailing list. Also, check out what you missed by diving into resources from Featured Partners and Microsoft Learn.

• We discussed Microsoft's AI strategy in Southeast Asia and ANZ, highlighting the advantage of early adoption and multi-application scenarios. You can check out the blog by Ahmed Mazhari here. This blog is part of the AI worldwide series, which highlights customer stories from around the globe. Read more stories from?India,?France,?Brazil, and?Japan.

Updates from Infosys

• We discussed the Infosys annual report and how it gives direction to the market on what Infosys is thinking about. I highlighted the importance of data readiness and regulatory compliance in AI and other solutions. I also mentioned that the business transformation is now more consulting-led. We discussed the role of AI in business transformation and the need for productivity without negative connotations. I highlighted Infosys' representation in regulatory bodies and the importance of aligning with the company's vision. The section on "Gen AI: Ushering in the next era of business" is worth reading. You can access the annual report here - https://infosys.annualreportai.com/

• One of the stories which is driven by Microsoft Practice at Infosys was featured in the report. This was WESCO. Wesco International is a FORTUNE 500? provider of business-to-business distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions. Wesco embarked on an AI-first digital transformation journey, two years back, seeking to intelligently transform their processes harnessing the power of data and best-of-breed platforms. Infosys, as their digital and AI innovation partner, helped the business to harvest data to train AI models, bridge talent gaps, manage integration challenges with legacy systems, and stay ahead of the evolving regulatory dynamics of responsible AI. One of the examples of Wesco’s high-impact deployment of AI was the amplification of their sales process. Today, Wesco is seeking to bring gen AI to amplify the process further by creating highly targeted recommendations based on insights around customer preferences and purchase history. Infosys continues to partner with Wesco as they expand their transformation to include value from gen AI across business functions.

• We conducted a roundtable at Nimb Hotel, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen with the topic - "Unleash the Limitless Possibilities for Businesses to Achieve Total Human Experience". This was an exclusive networking roundtable presented by 印孚瑟斯 Microsoft Practice and 微软 . Leaders from Infosys, Microsoft, K3, and Quest led an engaging and insightful conversation, taking us through this exhilarating journey to unlock unprecedented heights of experience and efficiency for organizations. Check out the LinkedIn post here.

• Infosys was also invited as one of the key Strategic SI partners in the Malaysia region to showcase the Copilot solutions in their “Leading the Era of AI: Business Applications Copilot Launch” event in Kuala Lumpur. We witnessed an incredible turnout and engaging discussions, and this event provided a great opportunity for customers to find out how Microsoft and Infosys are pioneering a new era of innovation with Copilot, helping to revolutionize and add more value to their businesses. We were thrilled to showcase our inventory management solution built on PowerApps, which the clients found to be excellent. Here’s to the exciting journey ahead! You can checkout the post here.

• We also conducted a roundtable in Manila, Phillippines on “Navigate Cost Challenges with Infosys Microsoft Practice and Future Proof Your Business”. You can checkout the LinkedIn post here. I would also like to extend a special thanks to our partner Microsoft. Your insights and collaboration made the event truly exceptional and here’s to continued teamwork and shared successes ahead!

• Other updates were from Analysts days, Analyst briefings, show and tell, partcipation in industry reports and intersting client visist. These are not shared here as these details are INFOSYS INTERNAL.

Gracias

Before I close, if you like this newsletter, please do Help Spread the word and share the link to your network to Subscribe on LinkedIn. Have a wonderful month ahead! Till next time...