Infosys chairman says AI job-loss fears are hogwash
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani says AI will create more tech jobs in governance and change management, not wipe them out.
Market · Source: The Hindu BusinessLine (PTI)
What happened
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, recently called artificial intelligence a slow-moving tsunami that could wipe out routine jobs. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani strongly disagrees with this view. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, he called AI job-loss fears hogwash. He described the panic as disaster marketing driven by large capital interests to suit their own agendas.
Nilekani admits that AI coding agents are automating traditional coding work and making it much more productive. However, he argues that technology makes up only thirty percent of any given enterprise project. The remaining seventy percent involves governance, change management, and setting up proper guardrails. Companies need human workers more than ever to ensure AI bots do not hallucinate and software agents do not go rogue.
Other industry leaders see the situation differently and predict actual job cuts. Sam Kingston, CEO of Zenitech, believes AI will make delivery faster and directly reduce the need for junior and mid-level workers. Amrinder Singh from Hexaware expects digital labor to deliver half of their company work by 2030. Singh warns that single-skilled people have no future, meaning the human workforce growth at IT firms will likely slow down.
By the numbers
- 70% — The portion of a technology project dedicated to governance, change management, and guardrails.
- 30% — The portion of a technology project that involves actual technology or coding.
- 50% — The amount of work Hexaware aims to deliver through digital labor by 2030.
- 20 years — The time it has taken for cloud computing to spread, showing that enterprise tech adoption is slow.
Why it matters
The definition of a safe tech job is shifting away from pure coding. As AI takes over routine programming, employers are looking for people who can manage complex business transformations. Job seekers need to show they can understand client requirements, collaborate across teams, and manage AI systems safely. Tech workers must retrain and become multi-skilled to survive in a market where AI handles the basic tasks.
Technology adoption takes much longer than the current hype suggests. Nilekani points out that cloud computing took two decades to spread, and AI faces similar hurdles with legacy systems, change management, and corporate power structures. Furthermore, small businesses with three to five employees will likely drive future job creation in India and beyond. These small companies handle complex, varied tasks that large AI systems cannot easily automate.
Who this hits
Junior and mid-level developers
These workers face the highest risk of disruption as AI automates routine coding tasks. Industry experts warn that companies may hire fewer junior staff as senior developers become more efficient with AI tools.
Single-skilled tech workers
Professionals who only know how to code will struggle to survive in the new market. Employers now expect a mix of domain understanding, technology skills, and the ability to manage AI.
Governance and project managers
Demand for these roles is expected to grow significantly as companies adopt AI. Businesses need humans to build guardrails, manage change, and ensure AI agents do not hallucinate.
What to do this week
- Expand your skill set beyond writing code to include domain knowledge, client communication, and project governance.
- Learn how to test AI models for hallucinations and build safety guardrails for enterprise systems.
- Look for opportunities at small businesses, which are expected to hire millions of people for AI-proof jobs.
- Prepare for a multi-skilled environment by learning how to work alongside AI tools to increase your own productivity.
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My take
I agree that the panic around AI taking all our jobs is overblown. Coding is getting faster, but companies still need humans to figure out what to build and how to keep it safe. Focus on solving business problems instead of just writing syntax, and you will stay relevant.