'Humans will remain in loop': Cognizant's Surya Gummadi on AI
Cognizant's Surya Gummadi says humans will remain 'in the loop' and continue to play a key role even as AI agents increase in number.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, he shared that people will still be needed to build trust, handle governance, and train smart AI systems.
He said one could look at it that way, comparing human roles in AI to mentors guiding learning.
Quick context: What's the big deal?
Gummadi has spent 26 years at Cognizant and believes that as AI gets smarter—especially with agentic (self-directed) systems—humans will keep playing a key part behind the scenes.
He described how these AIs work in teams with different roles, but people are essential for oversight and for building trust, handling governance and training these systems.
How is Cognizant handling this shift?
Cognizant is all about using AI to boost productivity and transform businesses without leaving people behind.
Gummadi said future jobs will mix humans and AI in new ways, but their goal is to create more opportunities than those lost—so tech helps everyone move forward together.