AI Unlikely to Significantly Impact Indian Jobs: IT Secretary

Rapid Summary

• AI is expected to have lower impact on organised-sector employment in India compared to Western countries, as fewer white-collar jobs are susceptible to automation.
• S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), stated that generative AI primarily replaces manual, repetitive tasks.
• Krishnan highlighted that AI can boost productivity across sectors like manufacturing and agriculture through integration with sensors and IoT devices, supported by 5G/6G networks.
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and meity are collaborating on an indigenous mobile chip project under the India Semiconductor Mission and design-linked incentive scheme. This chip is crucial for building a self-reliant ecosystem including an India-based mobile operating system.

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Indian Opinion Analysis

India seems poised to leverage artificial intelligence as a tool for enhancing productivity rather than fearing large-scale job losses seen in advanced industrial economies. With fewer vulnerable white-collar jobs at stake compared to the West,India’s approach aligns more towards utilizing AI in labor-intensive industries such as manufacturing and agriculture-sectors crucial for its economic growth.

The government’s focus on developing an indigenous mobile chip reflects broader ambitions linked to strategic independence under initiatives like the India Semiconductor Mission. This prioritization has potential long-term benefits for technological self-reliance while reducing dependency on global supply chains-a critical consideration amid geopolitical uncertainties affecting semiconductor availability worldwide.

India’s balanced rhetoric toward adopting AI while fostering domestic innovation suggests careful positioning: maintaining social stability around employment while advancing technological competitiveness globally.