Top IT college head believes that since Indian students have the best minds, they shouldn't be concerned about AI taking their jobs.
Professor Debabrata Das, the director of IIIT Bangalore, said that Indian students and IT workers have "no reason to panic" despite worries that AI may replace workers in the workforce.
Ankush Pandey
INTRO
- AI technologies in the IT sector, such as ChatGPT and Copilot, are generating worries.
- Humans will still be needed to solve problems, but AI will create new occupations.
- IT workers must upgrade their skills to keep up with AI developments.
The IT sector has been a little panicked since the introduction of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot. Many industries are changing dramatically, and artificial intelligence (AI) has had a particularly noticeable impact on the IT sector. This has raised concerns about how AI may affect worker demands and employment. Furthermore, others have issued cautions, such as Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, who expressed concerns about the possibility of AI eventually replacing programmers.
In a recent exclusive interview with former CEO of HCL Vineet Nayar warned that AI would make IT companies require 70% fewer workers. Such remarks have gone viral and have only increased the anxiety of those working in the IT industry and those who want to work in it. But according to a prominent director of an IT institution in India with whom we just met, "there is no need to panic."
"When people discuss artificial intelligence, they often think about robots and how they will replace workers. However, that is just a portion of it. There isn't enough discussion about the jobs that artificial intelligence will produce. Development of AI-based services, applications, tools, and support systems will be necessary. Humans are going to develop each of these. Thus, there would be a significant increase in the number of new employment created, according to Professor Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT Bangalore.
AI will create new jobs
Das used the example of phoning a customer service centre few years ago, where one would typically have to spend hours discussing one's problems over the phone before being forwarded to various departments. These days, though, most of these calls to customer service are automated. You are guided through the various alternatives by a prerecorded voice, but if none of the options suit you, you can always get in touch with a live person. The employment market of the future, according to Das, may see some old vocations replaced by AI and robotics, but new problem-solving skills will be the main requirement. He continues, "AI will handle certain issues, but humans will still handle some."
Das believes that although AI will be able to automate repetitive operations, it won't be able to handle novel tasks or solve problems. Humans will always be necessary to solve contemporary issues, create new algorithms and answers, and incorporate those solutions into the already-existing library of artificial intelligence algorithms. AI won't intervene until humans have resolved any outstanding issues.
IT professionals need to upskill themselves
However, there is uncertainty about both job loss and new employment in the IT sector. There have been thousands of layoffs in the tech business in the last 12 to 15 months. Nor have the layoffs exactly decreased. More than 34,000 workers from more than 100 digital businesses, including Google and Amazon, reportedly lost their employment in just the first two months of 2024.
The topic of IT layoffs brought on by AI has recently been discussed by both former HCL CEO Vineet Nayar and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Both of them have asserted that upskilling is the solution. Das concurs with that. While Das thinks it's also the job of employees to stay current with emerging technologies, Nayar thought that firms should be the ones to upskill their staff and bring them along.
"Anyone who has made it through the industry for longer than 7 or 8 years is inherently intelligent." All they have to do is enroll in some online AI and ML courses. These classes ought to be taken every 2 to 3 years. Everyone should enroll in these 3- to 6-month certificate programs—some are free, while others have modest costs—in order to learn new technology and advance their own skills, advises Das.
"Indian students have the best brains"
Das has great confidence in the skills of students and workers in the IT industry. "In my opinion, Indian pupils possess the sharpest minds. They excel at math, reasoning, memorization, and problem-solving. All that is required, he explains, is that students approach learning with a cheerful expression and take pleasure in it.
In terms of AI capabilities, India needs to perform a lot of research in many fields, including healthcare, as technology is catching up. However, developing these skills will take time, therefore this is being processed right now. Das is generally optimistic about India's AI potential, though. Das feels India is heading in the right path and is working in various deeptech fields like communication and healthcare, in contrast to ex-Googler Gaurav Agarwal, who says Indian engineers aren't working on deeptech AI and are merely scratching the surface at this time.
However according to Das, in order to make sure that India's AI research and development is on level with the rest of the world, we need professors with the necessary training and a curriculum that prepares students to deal with the latest developments in AI. Das states that courses like "Math for Machine Learning and AI, understanding the Basics of AI and ML, Large Language Modelling, Data Cleansing, Secure AI Coding, and Domain Knowledge" should be taught to IT students.
Overall, Das believes that AI will have a good impact on our civilization. "I have a really good feeling. I think highly of the Indian pupils. Indian intelligence is really high. He thinks AI will improve life in a variety of ways. It will enhance aspects such as life quality and environmental functioning. It will also lower the cost of conducting business. AI will, in general, make our lives better, save us money, and enable us to work more effectively.AI will benefit the human ecosystem in the long term.
Also read: Introducing Gemini AI, the most potent developed by Google, in India to replace ChatGPT.
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