Microsoft executive says repositioning human element is key amid AI’s rapid advance

San Juan, May 26 (EFE).- As artificial intelligence (AI) tools continue to evolve at an accelerated pace, Herbert Lewy, Microsoft General Manager for Central America and the Caribbean, says that “the important thing is to reposition the human element” to maximize the opportunities presented by the technology.

Lewy, who was the keynote speaker at the forum organized this month by GFR Media and Agencia EFE in Puerto Rico, said that over the next six months to a year, people can expect “more evolution and greater acceleration” in AI.

“Therefore, I think the important thing is to reposition the human element, meaning what we are going to do in response to the opportunity for transformation,” the Microsoft executive told EFE.

In his view, this is where “critical aspects” emerge, such as cultural change and a shift in mindset, so that regardless of future technological revolutions, organizations can develop the ability to adapt and “maximize opportunities.”

Today, there are all kinds of tools and resources available on the Internet and from companies such as Microsoft to educate people at every organizational level so they can embrace the transformation driven by AI.

“What people need to do is organize themselves to ensure they have a well-structured process of evolution, so they can educate themselves on what exists today and prepare for what is coming,” Lewy added.

The Microsoft General Manager for Central America and the Caribbean stressed that the major opportunity at this moment is that “the limitation is never the technology,” since companies can always acquire “the latest and most advanced solutions available on the market.”

“The ones who can fall behind are human beings — individuals, professionals, and organizations,” Lewy added, recommending employee training in AI as “absolutely critical” to the process.

Asked whether companies that are not yet advanced in AI can still catch up, Lewy said they can, but urged them to “start now.”

“It is about bringing a sense of urgency to today. Understanding that we already have a range of tools and technologies that allow us to create real disruption,” he said.

Lewy advocated moving beyond experimentation models toward “a deeper, more radical redesign of complete business processes” to integrate this technology into decision-making.

“The important thing is to start because this involves a process of changing the way people think. I need to understand how to ask questions and how to maximize the impact of the results I can obtain from these technologies. Far beyond preparing myself personally to know everything, it is more about being prepared to ask everything,” he said.

In that regard, he explained that there will increasingly be “more possibilities of having autonomous agents capable of reasoning, perceiving their environment, and carrying out tasks, particularly repetitive ones.”

The integration of technology tools in government agencies, education, banking, healthcare innovation, and infrastructure was the focus of the forum “AI Revolution: An Opportunity for Businesses in Puerto Rico,” the third such event organized in Puerto Rico by GFR Media and Agencia EFE.

Camera: Ricardo Ortiz

SOUND BITES AND FOOTAGE OF HERBERT LEWY, MICROSOFT GENERAL MANAGER FOR CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

"What can be expected is more evolution and more acceleration. Therefore, I think the important thing is to reposition the human element. In other words, what are we going to do in the face of this opportunity for transformation? That is where critical aspects emerge, such as cultural change and a shift in mindset, so that regardless of the future evolutions or revolutions we may experience, we have the ability to adapt and maximize the opportunity."

"I think the great opportunity we have at this moment in time is that the limitation is never the technology itself. We can acquire the technology tomorrow and access the latest and most advanced version available on the market. The ones who can fall behind are human beings — individuals, professionals, and organizations. That is why the call is to start now, to bring a sense of urgency to today, and understand that we already have a range of tools and technologies that allow us to create real disruption. It is about thinking far beyond isolated use cases. During the conference, we spoke about the importance of moving away from pilot or experimentation models and shifting toward a deeper, more radical redesign of complete business processes, using this technology to support decision-making. The important thing is to begin, because there is a process of changing the way we think. This shift in mindset has to do with understanding how to ask questions and how to maximize the impact of the results we can obtain from these technologies, much more than preparing ourselves personally to know everything. Rather, it is about being prepared to ask anything and, in that way, truly leverage these benefits."

"What we are experiencing today is that we are living through several accelerated transformational processes simultaneously. For several years now, since we first began talking about digital transformation, what differentiates the current moment is that for the first time in human history we have access to the same technologies, at the same price, and at the same time, everywhere on the planet."