What do you do if automation threatens your career in Financial Technology?

I do not think in the considerable future that AI will be a full proof solution. We "humans" will always be the thinkers and producers. AI can assist but you would always want someone for oversight. Sure there are a lot of jobs that can and will be replaced by AI, but there will always be a place for us humans in the thought leadership. For now, AI is still in its early stages and even at a rapid paced growth, our diversity and life experience will craft what the AI can accomplish

Many people fear technology, but there are techniques to make technology work for you. I used to design accounting systems from the ground up. As automation increased, I spent more time on FP&A, helping organizations make more informed and strategic business decisions. At the end of the day, accounting was made for humans. An AI (or short-sighted shareholder) might replace senior management with cheap labor, only to lose money from to reputation damage and the loss of quality, expertise, morale, and highly skilled workers. If organizations focus on single outputs (eg. profits), they risk becoming like Boeing. We need humans to ensure AI integrity and compose strategies that consider all key factors to produce term successful outcomes.

If automation threatens your career in Financial Technology, it's essential to adapt and upskill. Focus on developing expertise in areas that require human input and decision-making, such as advanced data analysis, strategic planning, and client relationship management. Embracing the latest technology and learning to work alongside it can also enhance your value. Networking with professionals in the field and staying informed about industry trends can provide insights into the evolving skill sets needed in the financial technology sector.

Access your skills to know how relevant you're in current market dynamics, look out for enhancing your skills with right skill set and work towards continuous learning - adaptability and being agile are key traits looked out for in any industry, especially in financial services. One needs to look at AI from the perspective of how it can aid your tasks and make it more effective; and not from the fear of losing out on what you've; as today its AI and tomorrow it can be any other technological enhancement - the only way to grow is to keep learning and be relevant.

We live in a fast-paced every changing world/society. When computers were brought in and automated factories everyone was worried that they would lose their jobs. People were specialized in certain fields for their whole life. We live in times of change, personal growth and ambition. It is normal now to see people changing entire career paths and gives you the opportunity to explore new and exciting skills or careers. We live in a world where we have to adapt and constantly learn, and lets face it, us humans are capable of anything we put our minds to. We own a massive neural network and use such a small percentage of it. Learn, Grow, Adapt and Explore

Fintech is an interdisciplinary domain that requires attention to every area it touches. Any weak link can risk issues with product appeal, data integrity, quality, and security. The topic can be pretty endless and quite enjoable. The funnest way to gain knowledge and stay motivated is to dive into topics that interest you most, then study how it connects to other things. Eventually, you will map out an interrelated picture of a complex system. There are so many free and affordable options to do this with online learning such as eDX (which can also be turned into a degree).

Change and death, the two things in life that are a constant. People say change is like a holiday, I beg to differ. Change is scary, getting out of your comfort zone and having to do something you've never thought of doing will cause anxiety and stress. But it is ok, no one expects you to know everything, that is why we have people, teams and tools to help us. You need to learn to control your thoughts, emotions and your perspective on change. Turn something scary into an opportunity for personal growth and growing your knowledge. Embrace the change and find that positive within it. Be humble, ask when you need help and use every tool you can to assist you taking on a new exciting challenge

Change is terrifying, but also open doors. A single person used to be able to make a video game, then it became only AAA companies that could explore the best ideas, and now we are coming back full circle with AI. There are serious ethical issues since a lot of AI content was stolen, but as we figure out better ways to protect IP and the creator community, we can also grow. Please remember to fight for their rights so we don't become a system of AI training AI. A fun exercise is to think of something you've always wanted to do, but it was too time consuming, expensive, or perhaps you didn't know how to get help. With AI, that support is closer than ever, and you can dream into a potential we are only just beginning to discover.

Collaboration is really one of the key strategic pillars that hold up any industry. We are humans thrive on human interaction and collectively we have more knowledge and feed off each other's knowledge to think more creatively and see things from different angles. I thoroughly believe that if you are not sharing your knowledge with people you are missing the chance of leaving a meaningful impact on the world. I've seen often that the smallest contribution, question or perspective can drastically alter the outcome of a product or process. Embrace sharing and meeting others in your community

The key mantra here is to - embrace the change and not run away from it, as changes will always happen and one needs to be adaptable..

In the rapid expansion of technology, we have become a society that has to be flexible to adapt to changes in the economy, technology, and general environment. There are so many tools out there to help you along your journey, I get caught in the trap of trying to use too many tools or wanting to play with them to understand how they benefit me. It keeps me proactive in knowing what is out there. Keep up to date with the latest news, set some time aside and read news, articles, and blogs, and try to choose a direction or a few that align with something you are passionate about and hopefully in your career path. Try to use these tools to find the trends, then use good training resources to position yourself for the future

While automation can handle tasks like data processing and analysis, human-centric skills such as critical thinking, empathy, leadership, and strategic decision-making become more crucial. Enhancing these skills can help you stand out in a tech-driven environment. On the other hand, automation or the emergence of new AI tools makes work easier, but at the same time expands the range of tasks that could not be easily solved manually before and new opportunities for employees. But of course you will have to learn and adapt to new tools. I do not look at this process from the point of view of risk, but from the point of view of new opportunities. After all, people are naturally curious and learning something new is always useful.

Embracing automation in finance can indeed boost productivity, improve work-life balance, and enhance data accuracy. Studies show that most employees welcome automation, particularly for repetitive tasks. It's crucial to view automation as an opportunity rather than a threat. Strategic implementation can lead to greater success, offering improved efficiency and work quality for both employees and companies. While fintech serves as a decision support system to enhance accuracy and efficiency, human input remains invaluable. Automation cannot replace the human brain; human input is essential for refining fintech products and driving innovation

At early stage of my career we used to have ITR filing shifted online and out of all articles in my office I was the one always curios to take it up back in 2007 my first year This has helped me in building understanding about how the macro Excel and process of filing works After finishing CA I got the opportunity to work as Process & Domain expert for platforms like MCA21, GSTN and DigiGST. All are Game changers for Compliance of Crores in India Automation is not rocket science, it is just an understanding of process and then identifying repeatable areas which can be handled more accurately and faster by a system. Humans with understanding of process build systems and which leads to automations for Enterprise, Government or SMEs