In certain instances, we may earn revenue when a reader makes a purchase or completes a form through our pages or on a partner’s website. We adhere to a strict 
When was the last time you felt genuinely understood by an IT help desk instead of feeling like just another ticket in the queue? That question matters more than ever because while everyone talks about artificial intelligence (AI) cutting costs and increasing efficiency, few pause to ask whether the people on the other end of these systems feel more frustrated or more cared for.
In a recent conversation with Techopedia, Freshworks CIO Ashwin Ballal shared how he has been wrestling with this question in the most practical way possible.
He didn’t hold back on what is currently working, where companies are going wrong, and why he thinks empathy is non-negotiable.
Key Takeaways
- Clean data first. Only then can AI amplify strengths rather than magnify flaws.
- Automate routine tasks so humans can focus on unique, complex problem-solving.
- Empathy must guide every interaction; machines alone cannot deliver genuine care.
- Hands-on use builds confidence and turns AI fear into daily trust.
- Smart AI requires clear guardrails to ensure that results remain ethical and practical.
- Show Full Guide
Why AI Alone Will Not Clean Up Its Mess
There is an unspoken temptation in many boardrooms to think a shiny new AI tool can hide decades of sloppy processes and disjointed data. But as Ashwin Ballal pointed out, with refreshing honesty, this hope rarely ends well.
H told Techopedia:
“AI, as powerful as it is, is just one piece of a much larger and often more foundational puzzle that CIOs like me have to solve. The organizations we see truly succeeding are the ones that are getting that speed, and ROI has recognized the crucial truth that AI amplifies what you already have. If your data infrastructure is in a tangled mess, AI will give you tangled insights faster.”
This reality check lands hard for any leader under pressure to show quick AI wins.
No one wants to admit that before an algorithm can produce smart answers, someone has to clean up the mountain of legacy data riddled with duplicates, errors, and gaps.
Many forget that an algorithm only mirrors what it sees. If the source is flawed, the results cannot help but mislead.
Robots won’t take your job. They’ll take your boring tasks.@FreshworksInc CIO Ashwin Ballal on how AI clears the underbrush so people can do what humans do best. Solve, Create, and Care.https://t.co/hoY5PDHgx6 pic.twitter.com/6DqLpuPrHf
— Neil C. Hughes (@NeilCHughes) June 24, 2025
Automate the Boring, Amplify the Human
Fear sells. And the fear that AI will hollow out the IT profession is still stubbornly alive. Ashwin has heard this anxiety in hushed breakroom conversations for years. He was quick to dismiss the doomsayers:
“This is absolutely a myth. You heard it whispered in the hall, basically, ‘Is AI coming for my job?’ The reality, as I see it, is that AI is far more of an augmentation tool. A powerful assistant or an agent, other than a replacement. Think of it this way. AI excels in automating repetitive, mundane tasks, stuff that frankly most IT pros don’t find thrilling anyway.”
This frees up our talented human capital to focus on complex problem-solving, strategic initiatives, and the kind of creative thinking that AI in the enterprise, at least for now, can touch.
At Freshworks, this plays out in daily tasks. Ashwin Ballal laughed when we talked about password resets.
For decades, help desks have been overwhelmed by these repetitive requests, often accounting for seventy percent of the ticket volume. Automating such grunt work is not about eliminating jobs. It’s about freeing skilled staff to design smarter systems, tackle unique problems, and deliver innovations that no bot can replicate.
Empathy Is the Heartbeat That Machines Cannot Fake
For Ashwin, automation without human context is a dead end. He sees empathy as a daily operating principle, not a buzzword for marketing slides. He shared how deeply this mindset shapes everything his team builds and how they handle daily requests from their colleagues.
Ballal explained:
“Empathy is non-negotiable. You must put yourself in the shoes of your employees and customers. I always tell my team to personalize every experience because we want to deliver the kind of service I would like to receive, and this empathy has to be a two-way street.”
More importantly, the team backs up these promises with real accountability. Ashwin and his staff are not detached spectators. They use their software daily, hunt for pain points, and feed that learning directly back into development. It is empathy in a loop, constantly tested under real conditions.
The Confidence to Use AI Comes From Doing, Not Just Talking
Every CIO knows rolling out a new system is one thing. Getting the staff to embrace it is quite another. Freshworks found that the best teacher for AI is not a PowerPoint presentation. It is using the tool day after day until the fear fades.
“One of the effective things that we do at Freshworks is that we are customer zero for our products. We use Freshservice and Freshdesk, which is our ITSM and customer support software, extensively internally and provide candid feedback for product and engineering teams,” Ballal said.
By applying their own AI first, they iron out quirks and show employees the practical benefits firsthand. Over time, teams shift from suspicion to ownership. They stop asking, “Will this replace me?” and start asking, “How can I get this bot to handle even more routine tasks so I can tackle bigger projects?”
This is not just theory. Ashwin shared how, in his previous company, an AI ticket resolution pilot transformed a skeptical support team into champions.
Seeing routine tickets vanish overnight made believers out of even the most skeptical doubters.
Good AI Needs Boundaries, Not Blind Faith
Enthusiasm alone does not produce value. Ashwin Ballal has seen numerous companies waste money on experiments for the sake of appearing cutting-edge. He insists smart AI comes with discipline baked in:
“The path to tangible business outcomes isn’t just experimentation for its own sake, but it’s applying AI in very smart, targeted ways that drive real measurable results that change business outcomes.”
Freshworks does not deploy AI everywhere indiscriminately. Instead, it tailors models to each industry, refines them with clean data, and monitors privacy with rigorous oversight. This kind of restraint ensures that automation helps rather than hurting.
It is a lesson some companies learn only after rogue bots create compliance nightmares. Ashwin compares reckless AI experiments to buying an F1 car without knowing how to shift gears. It is thrilling in theory but embarrassing in practice.
Collaboration: AI as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
One of the more overlooked payoffs of well-implemented AI is that it breaks down silos inside a business. Ashwin explained that for too long, IT and business teams have been engaged in an awkward tug-of-war. It guards the systems, and business demands rapid changes.
Ballal said:
“I believe the biggest opportunity in the next 12 months and beyond is using AI to fundamentally unify how IT and business teams work and collaborate towards shared goals.”
“What if AI didn’t divide IT and business but actually brought them closer? @FreshworksInc CIO Ashwin Ballal shares how Freddie AI frees 70% of routine tasks so teams can build with AI, not just watch it. Collaboration, not chaos. https://t.co/hoY5PDGIHy pic.twitter.com/eXABqsbH9E
— Neil C. Hughes (@NeilCHughes) June 24, 2025
The Bottom Line
Empathy at scale is not optional. It is the glue that holds all this automation together in a way that feels personal, not robotic. Ashwin Ballal’s vision sums it up best:
“Our vision at Freshworks is simple. AI should help teams, not overburden them or replace them.”
This may be the quiet revolution in AI adoption. Not a future ruled by machines but one where innovative technology frees people to care more, create more, and connect more deeply, even inside the traditionally impersonal corridors of IT.
