NASSCOM's flagship event India Leadership Forum in Mumbai in February this year brought together global leaders on the theme, 'Re-imagine, not re-engineer'. This clearly suggested that the future lies in our ability to innovate and automate. During the event I interacted with award winners of the NASSCOM Digital India contest and came across innovations addressing the biggest challenges the country faces in healthcare and education.A team from Phillips demonstrated a low cost device which could transmit ECGs from rural locations to specialised health care hospitals for expert review. In pilots conducted with KMC Manipal, 380 ECGs were read, and cardiologists found 86 ECGs (22.6%) with abnormal findings. Amongst these patients, 59 were advised cardiac echo, and on further examination of 13 patients (15%), three were identified with STEMI and subject to immediate reperfusion. All three STEMI patients were treated with primary PCI with hospital door-to-balloon timing of 30, 23 and 18 minutes and their lives were saved.Chandigarh based Advenio focusses on AI ( Artificial Intelligence ) and CAD (Computer Assisted Diagnostics) on clinical images with conventional IoT (Internet of Things) devices to detect two of the major diseases in India, diabetes and TB (Tuberculosis). Their award winning platforms, integrate AI based diagnostic software, for diabetic retinopathy screening, and early detection of TB in order to deliver affordable diagnostics in remote locations.SAP Labs are experimenting with voice recognition techniques to help blind students take exams. These students seek help from human scribes. They face challenges like shortage of volunteers, reliability of scribes, understanding the accent, poor handwriting. The app available provides interactive commands on a mobile device to the student who can voice out the answers to generate the answer sheet.Innovation is critical for accelerated growth and sustainability to keep people gainfully engaged. The nature of engagement would however change with increased automation. Using machines helps in bolstering the areas where we thrive. We could witness a new renaissance where automation unlocks creativity in humans as people are freed from repetitive tasks.There are many examples of successful collaborations between man and machine. City Union bank has introduced India's first humanoid robot in Chennai. The AI powered robot answers customer queries on various parameters. Robot-advisors are now being deployed by investment firms to offer advice. Automated fraud detection systems use machine learning to identify behaviour patterns that could indicate fraudulent payment activities. Personal money management applications deliver personal finance predictions.Robot-advisors are now being deployed by investment firms to offer advice. (Image: AFP)Creativity would always remain in the realm of human beings, only the repetitive tasks may get automated. Rapidly evolving pervasive connectivity and ability to crunch volumes of data enables intelligent automation.McCann Erickson Japan announced the addition of a unique member to its team: AI-CD an artificially intelligent creative director. The robot was pitted against its human counterpart. Both were given a spot to communicate a brand message which was opened to a nationwide poll. 54% voted for the human while 46% for the robot and the human emerged superior. Amateur artists can download Pikazo, an app, which is 'a collaboration between human, machine and art.As machines get integrated with humans it has serious implications in preparing society for the future. The education system will need to focus on creativity and digital skills will be imperative. Due to fast changing technology , humans will need to continuously learn new skills and embrace lifelong learning. Humans will add value by their ability to accumulate knowledge and deliver creative solutions.British economist John Meynard Keynes in an attempt to understand the great depression had predicted a world with a better future but was concerned about 'technological unemployment'. Automation economises on the use of labour, generates demand for new products and services. Industrialization has not eliminated labour but created opportunities. This has been possible due to the creative abilities of humans who along with machines are innovating continuously to create a new world order.