What happens when AI becomes your teammate—not just your tool? How Will AI Transform Collaboration at Work?
In this special live episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Anurag Dhingra, Cisco’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Connectivity and Collaboration, at #WebexOne in San Diego to explore how the workplace is being re-engineered for the age of AI.
Anurag shares Cisco’s vision for distance zero—a world where technology erases barriers of time and space, connecting people seamlessly across the globe. From AI agents that take notes and run polls to a “director” agent that decides camera angles for hybrid meetings, he reveals how AI is transforming collaboration from the ground up.
Together, Nirit and Anurag unpack what happens when digital teammates join the workforce, how AI is shifting human roles from execution to orchestration, and why the future of collaboration depends on blending human intuition with machine intelligence.
If you’ve ever wondered what it will feel like to work alongside AI—and how organizations can build workspaces where humans and digital agents truly collaborate—this episode offers a glimpse into that future, already unfolding.
Guest Information:
Anurag Dhingra serves as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Enterprise Connectivity and Collaboration Group. In this role, he manages a diverse portfolio encompassing industry-leading hardware, software, and SaaS products. From Meraki, Cisco Catalyst, and Industrial IoT networking, to ThousandEyes network assurance, to Cisco Collaboration, these products power the workplaces of the world’s largest and most sophisticated organizations.
In our digital and AI-first world, Anurag has been a pioneer in applying new technologies to build and deliver exceptional experiences for both customers and employees. He has been instrumental in shaping Cisco’s AI strategy across its product offerings, and he has led his teams in delivering thousands of innovations to Future-Proof the Workplace.
During his tenure with Cisco, Anurag has held several leadership roles in the Collaboration business, including Chief Technology and Product Officer where he led the entire Collaboration software business. He was also Vice President and Head of Engineering for Webex Meetings where he was responsible for delivering applications and services to power online meetings for millions of users worldwide.
With over two decades of experience in the Communications, Collaboration, and SaaS industries, Anurag is accomplished at building high performance global teams and creating innovative, market leading products. Anurag takes pride in being a customer-focused leader, with a proven track record of strategic thinking and executing with a strong culture of innovation.
Passionate about applying technology for good, Anurag serves on Cisco’s Human Rights Advisory Council and was the founding executive sponsor of Cisco’s Responsible AI Framework.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India.
Links: Anurag Dhingra’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurag-dhingra
Chapters:
00:00 — How Will AI Transform Collaboration at Work?
01:00 — What Happens When AI Becomes a Teammate?
02:00 — How Will AI Agents Change the Workforce?
03:20 — Inside Cisco’s New AI Tools for Collaboration
04:40 — Can AI Boost Meeting Engagement?
06:00 — What Is Cisco’s “Distance Zero” Vision?
07:00 — How AI Is Reimagining Hybrid Meetings
08:40 — The Rise of Digital Teammates and Voice Agents
10:20 — Will Every Employee Become an AI Manager?
11:40 — How Will Management Evolve with Digital Workers?
13:00 — Preparing Organizations for AI-Driven Transformation
14:40 — How Can Workers Stay Relevant in the Age of AI?
16:00 — Why Leaders Must Keep Learning
17:40 — The Future of Hybrid Work and AI Collaboration
