Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani has emphasized that the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is likely to increase the demand for human skills rather than diminish it, even as businesses embrace AI-powered coding tools and autonomous AI agents.
In his message to shareholders in Infosys' FY26 annual report, Nilekani described AI as one of the most significant technological shifts in recent history. While acknowledging that automation will transform how work is performed, he argued that human expertise, creativity, and problem-solving abilities will remain indispensable.
According to Nilekani, enterprises are moving quickly to integrate AI into their operations, but scaling these technologies across large organizations remains a complex challenge. This, he said, reinforces the importance of IT services companies that can help businesses implement, manage, and optimize AI-driven systems.
A key theme of his message was the enduring value of foundational knowledge. "What still matters is first-principles thinking: learning the underlying concept before reaching for the tool. The demand for human capability grows, not shrinks," Nilekani noted.
His comments come amid widespread concerns that AI could lead to significant job losses across industries. However, Nilekani pointed to projections from the World Economic Forum that present a more balanced outlook. The organization estimates that while around 92 million jobs could be displaced globally by 2030 due to technological change and automation, approximately 170 million new roles may emerge during the same period. This would result in a net increase of 78 million jobs worldwide.
The evolving employment landscape suggests that workers will need to continuously upgrade their skills to remain competitive. Areas such as AI development, data science, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and human-AI collaboration are expected to generate substantial employment opportunities in the coming years.
Nilekani's remarks reinforce a growing view within the technology sector that AI is more likely to reshape jobs than eliminate them entirely. As businesses accelerate their AI adoption strategies, the focus is increasingly shifting toward reskilling, adaptability, and leveraging human intelligence alongside machine capabilities to drive innovation and productivity.
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