Infosys Ltd. (INFO)s new chief executive officer is looking to acquire talent and technology as he tries to push Indias second-largest software services company into artificial intelligence -- helping customers automate jobs currently done by people.

Vishal Sikka, who took over on Aug. 1, said he wants Infosys to focus on design and automation to help bolster sales growth. That push may require some deals to add people and technology related to artificial intelligence and collaborative software companies, he said. Still, the majority of the transformation will be driven by retraining the companys more than 160,000 employees over the next two years, he said.

We are not interested in acquiring yesterdays technology or acquiring growth, Sikka said in an interview at Bloombergs New York headquarters. But we want to bring in talent, we want to bring in skills, we want to bring in technology that will accelerate our ambition.

To make this push without cutting jobs, Sikka is looking to the Industrial Revolution for inspiration. The move to automation wont hinder job growth, he said, comparing it to technological advancements of the 19th century. Sikka plans to require training for his employees because they need to adjust to a technology world more reliant on design.

Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer of Infosys Ltd. Close

Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer of Infosys Ltd.

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Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer of Infosys Ltd.

Sikkas push for expansion and next technologies follows Infosys reporting quarterly sales growth that was the slowest in more than four years. He became the first non-founder CEO at Infosys after working for 12 years at SAP AG.

If Sikka doesnt try to bring in new strategies and technology, Infosys will just become a sweat shop, said U.R. Bhat, a Mumbai-based director at Dalton Capital, a unit of U.K.- based Dalton Strategic Partnership LLP that has $2 billion in assets. Infosys has to raise the bar and artificial intelligence is one way to go.

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Infosys Eye M&A to Gain Talent in Shift to Automation