AI will reshape jobs, but India’s bigger challenge is preparing workers, boardrooms and classrooms

The debate around artificial intelligence is largely centered around a single question: Will it eliminate jobs?

But the most Hindu At Huddle’s session on ‘I, Robot: How AI is reshaping the future of work’, industry veterans argued that India is at risk of missing a much more important conversation – how to reimagine education, skills, research and businesses for an AI-led future.

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In the panel moderated by Business Line brought together editor Raghuvir Srinivasan, former Cognizant CEO Lakshmi Narayanan, former NASSCOM chair and NITI Aayog distinguished colleague Debjani Ghosh and former Saint-Gobain India chairman B. Santhanam.

According to Ms. Ghosh, the current narrative around AI-induced job losses is often wrong. Disputing the view that AI has already eliminated large numbers of jobs, he said, “Most of the displacement so far was due to over-hiring during the pandemic. So the correction was being made.”

This does not mean that the risks are unimportant. As AI systems become more capable of performing routine and repetitive tasks, entry-level jobs are likely to come under the greatest pressure.

“The entry level will definitely be disrupted. And that’s important because that means millions of people in India and millions of youth in India,” Ms. Ghosh said.

According to him, the real challenge is not to resist artificial intelligence, but to redesign the work around it. Rather than viewing jobs as fixed roles, employers and policymakers need to break them down into tasks and identify areas that can be automated and those that continue to require human judgment.

This future, he said, will be defined by what he calls the “human sandwich model.” “You need humans to frame the questions and input, the AI does the work, and at the end you need humans again to validate the outcome,” he said, adding that the model will become even more critical as autonomous AI agents become widespread.

The conversation soon moved beyond jobs to India’s place in the global AI economy.

As India emerges as one of the world’s largest digital markets, Ms. Ghosh warned that being a consumer of technology is not the same as creating value from it.

“If you look at the 17.6 trillion estimate of how much value AI will create in the next five years, 80% of that is going to two countries, the US and China. For India, we should aim to get at least 10% of that,” he said.

But Mr Santhanam believes India’s biggest opportunity will not lie in directly competing with Silicon Valley’s frontier models. Instead, he argued that the country could have a disproportionate impact through the spread of AI into sectors such as agriculture, education and healthcare.

“The most important work is spread in these three areas (agriculture, education and health). At this point, I think artificial intelligence can do what humans cannot,” he said.

He emphasized the country’s ability to use the technology at scale, noting examples where AI-powered solutions developed for India’s agricultural ecosystems were adapted for use elsewhere within months.

But Mr. Santhanam reserved his harshest criticism for corporate India.

“There are 230 independent directors in the Nifty 45. Less than 10% of them have any understanding or knowledge of technology. This is the state of our boards,” he said.

He argued that the lack of engagement with AI at the board level is particularly concerning at a time when technology is rapidly transforming industries. “Not a single AI company was mentioned in the chief executive’s report. Not one. That’s shocking.”

Mr. Narayanan reiterated his concerns about India’s preparedness, especially in education and research. When asked whether colleges in India were producing graduates ready for the age of AI, his answer was clear.

“The short answer is no.”

He said India has historically been successful in adopting and scaling technologies but has not invested enough in the inventions and research that drive technological leadership. “We don’t invest enough in research. The blame lies with the private sector,” he said.

The former Cognizant chief argued that while India is comfortable with expansion, it needs much stronger capabilities in innovation and research if it hopes to play a meaningful role in shaping the next wave of AI.

Together, the panelists painted a picture that is neither utopian nor alarmist. Artificial intelligence will disrupt jobs, especially at the bottom of the pyramid. It will also create new opportunities. But whether India emerges as a creator of value or merely a consumer of it will depend on how quickly it can overhaul its classrooms, boardrooms and workforce for a technology that moves faster than any before it.

Hindu Huddle is presented by Sami-Sabinsa Group as a Presenting Partner. The event is jointly conducted by the Government of Telangana and organized in association with Khaja Bandanawaz University.

The event was also attended by Bank of Baroda, Larsen & Toubro, Apollo Hospitals, IIM Sirmaur, ICFAI Group, TAFE, Wizzmon, Government of Uttarakhand, Associate Partners; Casagrand, Real Estate Partner; Luxury Vehicle Partner Toyota; Amity University Bengaluru, University Partner; Harrow International School Bengaluru, Education Partner; Meghalaya Tourism, State Partner; and NDTV 24×7, TV Partner.