Why Vishal Sikka says AI has already arrived—and will wipe out old ways of working
From recreating years of engineering effort in under an hour to predicting hundreds of AI agents for every worker, Vishal Sikka says businesses face a defining choice: reinvent themselves for the AI era or risk being left behind.
3 Min Read
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future wave approaching businesses — it has already arrived and is fundamentally changing how work gets done, according to Vianai Systems founder and CEO Vishal Sikka, who believes companies that fail to adapt risk being swept aside.
Speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, the former Infosys chief said businesses should stop treating AI as a distant trend.
According to him, the technology will overturn traditional ways of working and create entirely new opportunities.
"It will wipe out the prior way of doing things," he said.
From years of effort to one hour
Sikka recounted a personal experience that convinced him of AI's transformative power.
He said he was able to recreate in less than an hour a system that had previously required two-and-a-half years of effort by hundreds of engineers.
"A team that had taken two and a half years of overtime, 500 people initially, then 100, two and a half years of our lives, painful two and a half years of working 15-hour days, that I could basically redo in one hour," he said.
"By myself, sitting by myself. And it worked."
The experience left him stunned.
"I just could not get over it for many days. What the hell just happened?" he said.
What does this mean for companies?
According to Sikka, AI can dramatically reduce the time and cost needed to complete existing work. But survival will depend on whether businesses can reinvent themselves.
"Whether companies survive or thrive is more a function of whether we can transform ourselves in time," he said.
He compared the current moment with Netflix's transition from DVDs to streaming.
"When streaming became good enough, they basically put the old DVD company aside and said the whole company now is the streaming company," Sikka said.
Such radical changes may become necessary for many businesses, he added.
Smaller teams will achieve more
Sikka expects individuals and small groups equipped with AI to perform work that once required large organisations.
"There will be single people and small teams of people who will do these things," he said.
He believes companies have little choice but to adapt quickly.
"How quickly do you go over to that other side? I think that, to me, is the big divide," he said.
Hundreds of AI agents for every worker
The Vianai chief also sees AI agents becoming commonplace.
"One hundred percent. Actually, more. You will have hundreds of agents," he said.
He cited an example of his nephew, who uses around 150 AI agents to manage household tasks, work, communications, code repositories and shopping.
According to Sikka, these digital assistants will dramatically increase human productivity.
"We tend not to take into account the dramatic possibilities these new mediums offer us," he said.
Instead of replacing work, AI could create far more of it.
"Instead of 300 times as many pictures, you'll have 300 times as much work happening, and we won't even know it. We'll get used to it," Sikka said.
Helping businesses ride the AI wave
Asked about his ambitions for Vianai Systems, Sikka said his goal is to help enterprises navigate the disruption.
"My dream is to help businesses thrive," he said.
"AI is a huge wave that we have created. Businesses have to learn to ride this wave. I want to help them ride this wave, and in the process, I want to create a culture where large numbers of people can thrive."
Speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, the former Infosys chief said businesses should stop treating AI as a distant trend.
"The wave has hit us," Sikka said. "It's not like saying, 'Oh look, the wave is coming.' The water is in our living room. The wave is here."
According to him, the technology will overturn traditional ways of working and create entirely new opportunities.
"It will wipe out the prior way of doing things," he said.
From years of effort to one hour
Sikka recounted a personal experience that convinced him of AI's transformative power.
He said he was able to recreate in less than an hour a system that had previously required two-and-a-half years of effort by hundreds of engineers.
"A team that had taken two and a half years of overtime, 500 people initially, then 100, two and a half years of our lives, painful two and a half years of working 15-hour days, that I could basically redo in one hour," he said.
"By myself, sitting by myself. And it worked."
The experience left him stunned.
"I just could not get over it for many days. What the hell just happened?" he said.
What does this mean for companies?
According to Sikka, AI can dramatically reduce the time and cost needed to complete existing work. But survival will depend on whether businesses can reinvent themselves.
"Whether companies survive or thrive is more a function of whether we can transform ourselves in time," he said.
He compared the current moment with Netflix's transition from DVDs to streaming.
"When streaming became good enough, they basically put the old DVD company aside and said the whole company now is the streaming company," Sikka said.
Such radical changes may become necessary for many businesses, he added.
Smaller teams will achieve more
Sikka expects individuals and small groups equipped with AI to perform work that once required large organisations.
"There will be single people and small teams of people who will do these things," he said.
He believes companies have little choice but to adapt quickly.
"How quickly do you go over to that other side? I think that, to me, is the big divide," he said.
Hundreds of AI agents for every worker
The Vianai chief also sees AI agents becoming commonplace.
"One hundred percent. Actually, more. You will have hundreds of agents," he said.
He cited an example of his nephew, who uses around 150 AI agents to manage household tasks, work, communications, code repositories and shopping.
According to Sikka, these digital assistants will dramatically increase human productivity.
"We tend not to take into account the dramatic possibilities these new mediums offer us," he said.
Instead of replacing work, AI could create far more of it.
"Instead of 300 times as many pictures, you'll have 300 times as much work happening, and we won't even know it. We'll get used to it," Sikka said.
Helping businesses ride the AI wave
Asked about his ambitions for Vianai Systems, Sikka said his goal is to help enterprises navigate the disruption.
"My dream is to help businesses thrive," he said.
"AI is a huge wave that we have created. Businesses have to learn to ride this wave. I want to help them ride this wave, and in the process, I want to create a culture where large numbers of people can thrive."
(Edited by : Prashant)
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