From the integrities of the human workforce embracing enhancing soft skills over hard skills in the enterprise tech space to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) agents in customer service, this conversation covers it all.

In this episode of the Tech Transformed podcast, Shubhangi Dua speaks with Nikhil Nandagopal, co-founder and CPO of Appsmith, about the metamorphological impact of AI agents in the workplace.

He particularly emphasises the need for organisations to hone in on the advancing capabilities of agentic AI while still maintaining a focus on human collaboration and security.

“AI agents are now able to understand how they should go ahead and act upon the actions in contexts provided,” says Nandagopal. “So today, I still believe that humans are an integral part of the AI workflows.”

The speakers also discuss how AI agents centralise work processes, the evolution of job roles, the importance of critical thinking, and the cybersecurity challenges posed by AI. Nikhil emphasises the need for organisations to adapt to these changes and leverage AI effectively while maintaining a focus on human collaboration and security.

Takeaways

  • AI agents are autonomous entities designed to achieve specific goals.
  • The centralisation of data through AI agents simplifies workflows.
  • Conversational interfaces are becoming the norm for accessing information.
  • Humans remain integral to AI workflows, acting as moderators.
  • Job roles will evolve, requiring new skills and adaptability.
  • Critical thinking is essential when interacting with AI outputs.
  • Cybersecurity is a major concern with centralised AI systems.
  • Self-hosting AI solutions can mitigate cybersecurity risks.
  • The future of work will reward soft skills over hard skills

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI Agents and Their Impact

03:34 The Shift Towards Conversational Interfaces

05:07 Assisted Workflows and Human-AI Collaboration

10:05 Job Market Evolution in the Age of AI

13:23 Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

15:29 Cybersecurity Concerns with AI

20:31 Preparing for Cyber Threats in AI Systems

22:51 The Future of AI Agents in the Workplace

About Appsmith

Appsmith, an open-source low-code application platform aims to simplify custom application development for businesses. This helps businesses to streamline operations, automate processes, quickly integrate multiple apps and data, and enhance legacy applications with new features.

Unlike traditional low-code platforms, the Appsmith platform is lightweight, extremely developer-friendly, and designed to fully integrate within modern SDLC processes.

Appsmith easily connects to a wide range of databases, APIs, and SaaS applications, and provides drag-and-drop UI building tools that are 10x faster than UI development using Angular or React frameworks.

It also pairs low-code speed with full-code flexibility and control. Developers can customise business logic, data sources, and UI elements using JavaScript, import their own JavaScript libraries, and manage code in a centralised IDE.

Additionally, the company allows full-stack and backend developers, systems administrators, and data teams to quickly build highly-functional dashboards, admin panels, customer 360, IT automation, and service management tools that span multiple data sources.