Very few are like Soumitra Dutta, the former dean of Oxford University’s Said Business School, who are not just overwhelmed by intelligent technologies that people are assuming to create disruption or have already brought about. Professor Dutta is cautious about the advent of artificial intelligence in the 21st century but he is not against it, and how could he, especially when he has spent so many years studying this evolutionary technology and researching as well as teaching? Dutta is true to his opinion on the subject, “We need to help create a future we cannot predict. It’s an exciting time. The footprints of elite universities are too small, but they can be made much bigger using technology.”
Soumitra Dutta, Dean wants us to witness the transformation and embrace it
As clear and concise he is with his lectures, Soumitra Dutta, Oxford Dean (Former) points out about the role of artificial intelligence in education, “AI will have a dramatic effect on universities: in terms of staffing, students, courses, marking, everything”. Mr Dutta continues, “Everything you ever thought you knew, be prepared to forget”. He is not one of those to keep you in the dark, “Your job could be done using AI”. And as casually as it may sound, he brings us back to reality, “We will be affected to a very large degree. The nature of work is going to change. We are going to have to rethink all organisations and certainly universities as we know them.”
For a professor who has spent ample time in his career with future leaders, Soumitra Dutta is someone whose views are important to everyone who is keen to know where the future of artificial intelligence is heading. Soumitra is quick to take examples from popular culture to make things more relevant to his audience. “AI will be able to reason better and be better at creativity,” he says. “There are chatbots already which build emotional bonds. There are millions of men in China with the same AI girlfriend ‘Xiaoice’. Have you seen the movie ‘Her’? It’s happening for real”, Soumitra opines.
Thanks to his acumen in understanding people, he is smart to frequently observe that future leaders are more focused on mastering the AI tools rather than fearing them. However, Soumitra Dutta, Oxford Dean (Former) knows that just mastering AI tools isn’t enough and hence is relevant enough to interpret that they change their focus to understanding how AI will impact everything and not just the work they will be doing sitting at their desks in multinational conglomerates.
Soumitra Dutta’s interesting views on the future of Business Schools
The shift that everyone is witnessing especially in the corporate sector with AI, something similar is happening with educational institutions as well. And by making some simple changes in the syllabus isn’t going to cut it, is what Soumitra Dutta feels. “Business schools are going to have to be creative, have bold experiments and think how best we can prepare students and what we are preparing them for. What will their work look like?” He continues, “It’s very exciting and worrying at the same time. But in the next 20 years there will be a major transformation. But we need to ask: are we creating a better future?”
Soumitra Dutta, Oxford Dean (Former) wonders why the day-to-day advancements covered by the media about artificial intelligence is creating an unnecessary fear among masses.
Now it is understandable that the same media is first to cover news as soon as some company sitting in the Silicon Valley decides to lay-off employees just because they assume that AI can do their jobs even more effectively. Such news, when it keeps floating around, is bound to stir a few minds and create a worrisome atmosphere because people assume that the day is not far when they too get a note from the HR thanking them for their services and that they are no longer needed.
But in Soumitra Dutta’s opinion, and honestly to some extent it feels right, people may be blowing things out of proportion. Recent studies show that companies firing employees are under the pretext that AI is effective enough to do their jobs, but there is no certainty and that is why Dutta’s opinions matter more now than they ever did. He is always a believer that AI is a tool and it should always be monitored by a human, instead of replacing the workforce.
Let’s hope that we are not that close to a future where business school adopt AI teachers to teach students.
