AI Won't Replace People But Make Them More Productive

People and companies must "proactively own" the disruption from rapid technological change, says Haresh Khoobchandani, vice-president for Asia Pacific and Japan at Autodesk, a multinational software corporation known for its 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. "The cost of inaction will be far higher than the cost of action," he told Shivani Shinde in an interview in Mumbai. Edited excerpts:

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How has your career been: From a flight steward to tech leader?

■ I began my career as a flight steward with Singapore Airlines. I had zero technology background. When I joined Microsoft, I felt like a deer caught in the headlights, surrounded by incredibly smart people with technical backgrounds. I struggled for the first six months. At one point, I even called my headhunter and said "get me out of here!" That return call, as it turns out, never came—for 19 years. What changed everything was a piece of feedback that became a turning point in my career. I stayed, grew at Microsoft and eventually moved to Autodesk, where I've now been for seven years.

What made me stay on in the technology world was the realization of what tech can do. It has the capability to change lives. I have had the privilege to interact with Bill Gates (Microsoft cofounder), Steve Ballmer (former CEO of Microsoft), and Satya Nadella (Microsoft's chairman).

How has product development changed in the era of artificial intelligence (AI)?

■ Since I have joined the industry, the pace of change has only accelerated. At Autodesk, we see AI as a tool to augment human ingenuity. The world has so many pressing problems but limited time, money and material. Technology helps bridge that gap.