How Indian and global CEOs are reacting to AI's growing impact on jobs
future of work
.
Hitesh Oberoi, CEO of
Info Edge
, which runs the job portal Naukri.com,
recently shared his views on X
. He said AI is not just about cutting jobs but about changing the kind of work people will do. According to him, the focus now should be on building new skills.
'For job seekers, the message is clear: Develop skills that complement AI rather than compete with it. Problem solving, creativity, domain expertise, and AI literacy will be far more valuable than routine skills that can be automated. Continuous learning is no longer optional,' he wrote.
Sridhar Vembu, CEO of software company Zoho, shared a more urgent view. He pointed to the rise of large language models (LLM) and new software tools as a
serious challenge for people working in tech
. 'The productivity revolution I see coming to software development (LLMs + tooling) could destroy a lot of software jobs. This is sobering but necessary to internalise,' he said on X.
Outside India, global tech leaders are expressing similar concerns. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said professionals in many fields, including art and medicine, could become
irrelevant if they do not adapt to AI
. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also believes that people who avoid learning AI could lose their jobs to those who do not.
At the Milken Institute's Global Conference 2025,
Huang said AI will be part of nearly every industry
. He said the only way to stay ahead is to learn how to work with it. Both Schmidt and Huang believe that refusing to engage with AI could limit career growth in the years ahead.
Discover the stories of your interest
Blockchain
5 Stories
Cyber-safety
7 Stories
Fintech
9 Stories
E-comm
9 Stories
ML
8 Stories
Edtech
6 Stories
These concerns are backed by data. In April, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development warned that up to
40% of jobs across the world
could be affected by AI. A report by McKinsey & Company also estimated that between 400 million and 800 million jobs could be displaced over the next five years. It said many workers may need to move into completely new roles.
In India, the worry is just as strong. Microsoft's Work Trend Index 2023 found that 74% of Indian employees fear that AI could make their jobs unnecessary.
The Economic Survey 2024-25
also raised similar points and called attention to the speed at which AI is transforming the labour market.
Not every CEO is rushing to increase use of AI. Klarna Group, a fintech company, has decided to
scale back its AI-based customer service
. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the model led to a drop in service quality and the company is now adjusting its approach.
Across the board, CEOs agree that AI will play a big role in shaping the future of work. Some see it as a chance to boost productivity. Others see it as a risk to current job structures.
What is clear is that people who want to stay relevant in the job market will need to learn, adapt and keep pace with the change.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
12 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Classic Legends to rev up exports, accelerate domestic network expansion
Premium motorcycle maker Classic Legends, owner of iconic brands Yezdi, Jawa and BSA, is revving up its international ride with exports slated to start this year to markets including the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, and Latin America, while also accelerating domestic network expansion, its top officials said on Tuesday. A part of the Mahindra Group, the company, which launched its new model 2025 Yezdi Roadster priced between Rs 2.09 lakh and Rs 2.26 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) here, has, however, paused plans to launch its BSA bikes in the US due to the current tariff uncertainty, Classic Legends MD & Co-Founder Anupam Thareja told PTI here. In a joint interview, Classic Legends Chief Business Officer, Sharad Agarwal said the company is looking to double its overall sales this year to around 80,000 units from about 40,000 units annually clocked last year. "We are building a global distribution (network). We have launched BSA Bantam in the UK. We are sold out there now for the season," Thareja said when asked about the company's overseas expansion plans. Elaborating, he said, "We signed up Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Austria. We are signing up Australia. We have already signed up New Zealand." The BSA brand will target the developed markets such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the whole of Europe, the UK and the US, he noted. Thareja, however, said the plans to launch it in the US has been paused due to the current uncertainty after the US President decided to impose tariff amounting to a total of 50 per cent Indian goods. "US, I have no idea... Our bikes are on high seas. Our bikes are at customs there. We don't know what to do," he said, when asked about the expected dates of launch in the US. It could have been a big market because when BSA was the largest motorcycle brand in the world, USA was its largest market, he noted. Sharing the company's strategy for export markets, Thareja said while BSA will be exported to the developed markets, Jawa will target markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America, including Brazil, Argentine and Chile, and part of North Africa, where Jawa was very popular. "This will be the year where you will see our exports start," he asserted. In the domestic market, both Yezdi and Jawa are being sold along with a small quantity of the BSA model, Agarwal said. About overall sales expectations, he said, "This year we will the double our volumes. Last year, we did around the 40,000 units." In term of domestic sales network, Agarwal said the company has over 350 dealers and will be over 450 around the festive season of Diwali. "We aim to close this year with over 500 dealers and that will technically cover 80 per cent of the volumes in the sector," he added. The company will have sales and service network in the top 40 markets, the next 150 cities and key tier-III cities, Agarwal said. For this year, the company has launched four models, including the Yezdi Roadster, and another one will be introduced, he said without elaborating. Speaking at the launch event, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said Classic Legends is giving the Yezdi brand "the power to speak two languages" -- one, the language of memory, for those who remember it, who experienced it, who loved it "and the other language is the language of aspiration, who are going to take this forward in the future," he noted. The efforts would be to offer young customers not just a product but one that is authentic, that has depth, history and has the credibility, that a startup brand cannot offer, Mahindra noted.
Economic Times
12 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Google's DeepMind CEO exposes the shocking flaw holding AI back from full AGI - here are the details
Even though AI can solve world-class math problems, it still struggles with high school-level equations. That's the paradox that Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis claims is preventing AI from becoming fully AGI. The culprit is apparently an unexpected lack of consistency. Demis Hassabis believes that the most significant barrier to full AGI is AI's inconsistency in reasoning and problem-solving. Fixing the flaw will necessitate advances in reasoning, planning, and memory, not just more data or computing power. Demis Hassabis stated that "some missing capabilities in reasoning and planning in memory" need to be fixed. Hassabis stated in a Tuesday episode of the "Google for Developers" podcast that even sophisticated models such as Google's Gemini still make mistakes on problems that most schoolchildren could figure out, as quoted in a report by Business Insider. ALSO READ: Taylor Swift new album release date: When are the new playlists coming out - here are key details 'It shouldn't be that easy for the average person to just find a trivial flaw in the system," he stated. He cited Gemini models that have been improved with DeepThink, a method that improves reasoning, and that have the potential to take home gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad, the most prominent math competition in the world. The same systems, he claimed, can "still make simple mistakes in high school maths," and he referred to them as "uneven intelligences" or "jagged intelligences,' as quoted in a report by Business Insider."Some dimensions, they're really good; other dimensions, their weaknesses can be exposed quite easily," he stated. It's not just about getting more data and computing power to get to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which is the point at which AI can think and reason like a person in all areas. Hassabis thinks that the missing piece is to make reasoning, planning, and memory better, as quoted in a report by Business Insider. AI's weaknesses can make its strengths less useful if they aren't consistent. For example, an AI that can solve graduate-level physics problems but not basic algebra is not really intelligent in the same way that people are. Google CEO Sundar Pichai came up with the term "AJI", Artificial Jagged Intelligence, to describe the current state of the technology because it isn't balanced, as quoted in a report by Business Insider. Hassabis says the industry needs "new, harder benchmarks" to thoroughly test AI's strengths and weaknesses and make sure it works well on all kinds of Hassabis is still hopeful, though, and thinks that AGI could be here in five to ten years. He does, however, stress that Big Tech still hasn't figured it out. Before the launch of GPT-5, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said something similar. He said that GPT-5 is a big step forward, but it is not yet true AGI. Altman said that one major gap is that AI can't keep learning on its own from new information it comes across in real time. ALSO READ: Orca attack mystery: What really happened to marine trainer Jessica Radcliffe Both leaders agree that the next big steps forward in AI won't just come from bigger models. They will also come from smarter models that have the kind of balanced, adaptable intelligence that people take for granted. What is preventing AI from achieving AGI?AI lacks consistency, excelling at complex tasks while failing at simpler ones. How would Demis Hassabis describe current AI? He refers to it as "jagged intelligence" because it is strong in some areas but weak in others.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
12 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Diamond, shrimp, home textiles to be hardest hit by US tariffs: Crisil
Diamond polishing, shrimp, home textiles, and carpets are among the sectors most vulnerable to the adverse effects of the 50 per cent tariffs that the United States (US) plans to impose on Indian imports, Crisil said in a report. The US administration currently levies a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports. An additional 25 per cent tariff — to take effect two weeks from now as a penalty for India's purchase of Russian crude oil — will take the cumulative additional tariff to 50 per cent. For other sectors such as ready-made garments (RMG), agrochemicals, specialty chemicals, and capital goods, the impact of the 25 per cent reciprocal tariff is likely to be more manageable, given moderate US exposure of 5–20 per cent of overall revenue, and a limited tariff disadvantage that may allow companies to partly pass on the impact to customers. 'Additionally, the move to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff with effect from August 27, 2025, as a penalty for importing crude oil from Russia, will make Indian exports to the US unviable for the aforesaid (diamond polishing, shrimp, home textiles, and carpets) as well as other sectors including RMG, chemicals, agrochemicals, capital goods, and solar panel manufacturing, which have sizable trade exposure to the US,' Crisil said. The 25 per cent reciprocal tariff that came into force on August 7 is higher than that faced by most of India's Asian competitors. Sectors such as diamond polishing, shrimp, and home textiles may see sales volumes decline due to heavy reliance on US trade, while costs will rise due to partial absorption of tariffs, affecting earnings. The extent of the impact will vary depending on sectoral exposure, the ability to pass on incremental costs to customers, and relative tariff disadvantage versus competing nations. 'A potential second-order impact, including a slowdown in US demand and disparate tariffs across nations that could alter global trade dynamics, also warrants close monitoring,' the report said, adding that any potential trade agreement between India and the US in the coming days will bear watching. However, strong corporate balance sheets, potential bilateral trade agreements with other countries, and possible Indian government support for impacted sectors could mitigate the credit impact to some extent, it added. The US is India's largest trade partner and export destination. In FY24, India exported goods worth $86.5 billion to the US, accounting for a fifth of India's merchandise exports. Sectoral Impact Diamond polishing: Exports to the US accounted for about 25% of total revenue in FY25. The tariff will put more pressure on the sector's modest operating margins due to reduced fixed-cost coverage and the need to bear higher tariff costs. US retailers have shown limited willingness to absorb the additional burden. Shrimp: The US accounts for about 48% of revenue for Indian shrimp exporters. India is now one of the highest-taxed major shrimp exporters to the US due to reciprocal tariffs, countervailing duties, and anti-dumping duties. Operating margins will be further eroded due to additional costs and limited pass-through ability, given stiff competition from Ecuador, which benefits from lower tariffs. Home textiles and carpets: Exports account for 70–75% and 65–70% of total sales, respectively, for these sectors. Of this, the US accounts for about 60% of exports for home textiles and about 50% for carpets. While India currently enjoys some tariff advantage against China, the reciprocal tariff will lead to a material decline in revenue and profits, given the limited ability to pass on higher costs for these discretionary products. RMG: Exports to the US form 10–15% of total revenue and will become completely unviable as the tariff structure will be significantly higher than that of competing manufacturers in China and Vietnam. Agrochemicals: Exports to the US account for 11–12% of sector revenue and will face challenges, with China as a key competitor. The ability to divert products to alternative markets such as Latin American countries will be limited by strong Chinese competition in those regions.
