AI and employment: Who will dominate whom only time will tell

- The picture is not yet clear on how many jobs will be lost in the country

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a recent statement talked about providing training to two million Indians in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). From his statement, he seems to see a huge opportunity in the field of AI in India. By the time India reaches the level of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of five trillion dollars, he has also predicted that the contribution of AI in GDP will be seen as close to ten percent. Keeping this fact in mind, Indian companies cannot remain inactive on this issue.

Apart from India's expertise in software, it is also providing some other advantages like testing and training center for AI. Another aspect that supports the development of technology like AI in India is the variety of languages ​​spoken in India. With the expansion of smartphones, India also has the highest data usage in the world. It is with this fact in mind that Satya Nadella seems to be seeing a promising scenario for India in terms of AI. However, another well-known figure in the field of technology, Elon Musk, has previously warned against the rapid development of AI and said that AI is one of the most disruptive technologies discovered so far. There will be a time when jobs will have disappeared due to AI. Humans will work only for their personal satisfaction and the rest will be done by AI or the situation will force them to do so.

After globalization, automation and now the massive digital transformation seen due to AI is changing the job market especially the employment equations of the IT sector. During the Corona period, the demand for digitally skilled workforce increased but it proved insufficient. Due to social distancing and new work methods like work from home, the demand for digitally skilled talent increased drastically during the Corona period. IT service companies were forced to hire heavily. Now that the requirements related to Corona have been met, companies have shifted to keeping the number of employees as per their requirement, while AIA has also created the requirement of employees with different training.

Amid the changing business environment due to automation and AI, companies are being forced to retrain their employees and change their working methods. Looking at the rapid development of AI in the world, it is difficult to predict what kind of technology will be developed in the future and what kind of technology will be destroyed, but there is no doubt that the skilling process has to be continued continuously among employees, especially IT professionals. The question of how many jobs will be lost as a result of AI is also being asked from many levels and the answers are also getting different.

There are varying estimates of the impact of automation on employment, but the data coming in is alarming. What does the impact on employment due to AI mean? There is no clear explanation in this regard in any study.

India's IT services sector does not seem likely to add to or lose a large number of jobs in the near future, but there are clear indications that the process of automation is changing the employment picture of the IT services sector. How the onslaught of AI will impact a large job market like India is currently uncertain and the impact of AI will be evident only in the coming time.

Automation has penetrated most segments of the IT services sector, but conflicting views are expressed about its impact. There does not appear to be clear guidelines coming out at the government level as to what kind of jobs are being lost and created due to automation or artificial intelligence and what kind of education and training is required for them. It would be safe to say that the government has to rely more on assumptions than on specific studies to know how automation will affect employment, wages and inequality levels.

AI will radically change the way work is done with new experiences. If we look at the development of technology so far, there has been a change in the working method with the advent of new technology. An initial volatility in the labor market occurs with the invention of new technology. A similar situation is being observed due to AI.

Companies in India may not be very enthusiastic about using AI at present, but that is expected to change in the near future. While the adoption of AI has the potential to increase efficiency at home and India is strong in providing solutions for the world, the shift in job creation at home and globally due to AI cannot be ignored.