GD Topic | Is Artificial Intelligence Squeezing Jobs In India Or Shaping The Future?

We live in an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our life. By definition, AI refers to 'the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions.' Once considered to be science fiction, AI today has opened immense opportunities for us. 

The question that arises with the development of AI is whether this technology will automate human jobs, leaving people jobless. This could be an interesting GD topic for placement rounds or exam processes. Let's go through some pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence and see how this technology will affect people's jobs in the future so. This will help you get a good overview in case you have to face this as the GD topic. 

Role of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a boon for a major population of the country. Let’s have a look at the pros below.

• Seeing the wide-ranging applications of AI, the technology can help people solve difficult problems and live richer lives, but on the other hand, it is also estimated that automation will displace between 400 and 800 million jobs by 2030.
• While AI would be quite helpful in fields such as IT, Telecom, Financial services, Travel, and transport services, it may not be very useful in areas where human contact is needed. For example, in the healthcare domain, people would vouch for human contact, and AI would only play a supporting role here. 
• With AI, the world is moving towards precision agriculture wherein,  AI will help in detecting diseases, highlight pest issues, and poor nutrition of plants. Also, AI sensors would be able to target weeds and decide on the best herbicide that would apply within the region.
• Speaking of the education sector, AI can help students to get solutions to their most frequently asked questions in minutes. This would save a lot of time. However, the role of a teacher in a child's emotional quotient development cannot be sidelined. 

Do you know? Robots could replace as many as 2 million more workers in manufacturing alone by 2025, according to a recent paper by economists at MIT and Boston University. 

Is AI eating away jobs in India?

Despite the many pros offered by the field of artificial intelligence, there are a few cons as well. Mentioned below are a few reasons why AI is not that good a technology to look out for.

• An area of concern was the reduction in demand for manpower due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technologies, resulting in job cuts. Employment losses in the IT sector in India alone are reported to have reached 1,000 over the past year, particularly due to the integration of advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning.
• Almost all of Infosys, Wipro, TCS, and Cognizant—have slashed employment in India and are recruiting less in the country while snapping up more staff in the US and spending huge sums of money in "centers of innovation". The hot new fields of AI and data science need fewer bodies and are mostly found abroad, so this does not help domestic tech employees' prospects.
• Another thing is that the growth of computers would reach an industry of two million workers. Large e-commerce stores that usually were staffed with an army of people are now manned by 200 robots created by GreyOrange, a company from Gurgaon, India. With just a 30-minute break to recharge, these indefatigable devices sprint around lifting and stacking boxes 24 hours a day and have reduced manpower by up to 80%. 
• For efficiency, AI is a victory but a disaster for job prospects. Full swaths of the development landscape are now dramatically cut back from Honda scooter plants to Hyundai's car body shops. 

Concluding remarks

The need of the hour is the re-skilling and redeployment of workers within businesses internally. AI poses epistemological, scientific, and ethical issues before Indian policymakers and questions our normal, linear, and non-disruptive thoughts. Only time will narrate the story of the impact that artificial intelligence will have on people and their jobs. It is up to us to upskill ourselves and look at means and ways to stay in line with the current trends and demands of the industry. 

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