As AI agents make greater inroads into workplaces, the middle layer is shrinking and organisations are flattening out. Delayering is not new per se, as organisations have tried to remove hierarchies and flatten the organisation in the past too. But then the imperative was speed and agility. Now, in an AI-enabled operating model, there is redeployment of resources and role redesign in the middle level, as coordination is automated and fewer human managers are needed. But, says Deloitte, the organisation of the future is not a boss-free one. Human managers are taking on new roles such as AI orchestration, coaching, and oversight.

Meanwhile, even as AI agents gain ground, pessimism around them is growing too. Gartner even warns that by 2029, 30 per cent of employees laid off due to replacement by AI will need to be rehired. “When business executives look back on the early AI-era, they will realise their greatest mistake was believing that work automation was the point, when workforce amplification was the opportunity,” said Tori Paulman, VP Analyst at Gartner. The competitive advantage will go to those who build an AI-shaped organisation where AI value compounds by reshaping roles and allowing workflows to cross traditional boundaries, increasing velocity and reducing friction.

Hackathons have become quite common. Yet, Logitech and Aspire For Her’s nationwide all-women generative AI hackathon was newsworthy because it drew nearly 1.29 lakh registrants from across India and earned a Guinness World Records title. Guinness World Records created a brand new award category specifically to recognise female inclusion in emerging technology: ‘Largest Women-Only Generative AI Hackathon (Multiple Venues)’.

A part of Logitech MX’s #WomenWhoMaster movement, this initiative equips women with practical skills in generative AI, low-code development, and machine learning.

The grand finale, hosted at Logitech’s Chennai headquarters, brought together 112 finalists from over 15,000 colleges across 5,000-plus cities.

Kritika Yadav from Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur, emerged the national winner for ‘HerFinance’, an AI-powered financial resilience companion designed to help women better understand their money, risks and financial choices.

Published on September 14, 2026