Technology: Rohit Tandon talked about the possibility of people losing their jobs due to AI

Technology: On the possibility of people losing their jobs due to AI, Deloitte AI executive Rohit Tandon assured that “contrary to popular belief, AI will replace people”. Emphasising that the future is of AI-human collaboration, not replacement, the Deloitte executive envisions a revolutionary era where technology empowers the workforce rather than replacing them. In an interview with PTI, Tandon, managing director, AI and

Insights Practice Leader Insights Practice Leader, Deloitte LLP, said AI will not take away jobs but will eliminate some soft jobs and create new roles. “AI, along with people, will replace people… It’s not just about AI replacing people. You still need humans in the loop,” he said. Tandon linked the current scenario to the fear of job roles being lost when IT, technology and computers come into the scenario. “Look at how IT is changing, it’s not just about AI replacing people. It’s not about AI replacing people. It’s …

“How many jobs have been created across the world by technology? Same is going to happen with AI. It is going to be ubiquitous, just like some of the biggest supercomputers are on your phone today, some of the most powerful AI algorithms will be with you, in your purse, in your wallet, in your pocket”, he said. “It is going to be something that we will talk about. The way we talk about it or don’t talk about it, it becomes a part of our lives,” he added. Tandon reiterated that this is not the first time a new technology has come and there is a risk of job loss. “We have done this before with automation, call centres etc. We have automated some easy things. What it leaves behind are difficult problems for humans to solve”, he said.

He further said, “This will lead to job transformation. Humans will be replaced by AI and humans will be replaced by AI. If you look at the pyramid of jobs, AI will start automating the simple tasks that are already being done.” Tandon said people will use AI to find and share their knowledge and information and to enhance their ability to serve people. “This will eliminate some roles. But it will create more jobs than it will eliminate,” he said. Tandon believes that shared services – which exist across all sectors – will be the first to be impacted by AI. “Finance,

human resource HR and some shared services. “We are seeing energy adopting some very interesting use cases from an industry perspective, which has a huge impact,” he said. Read: Wi-Fi penetration continues to fall in India despite efforts by govt and telcos: DST Secretary Tandon shared an example of how using computer vision, AI and the ability to compute and process quickly has made it possible to identify and manage forest fires. Consumerisation, banking and hospitality are some other sectors that are harnessing the power of AI, he said. He further added that while it is important to establish safety and regulation for AI, they should be dynamic in nature. “There will be businesses that will initially feel they are being bullied, but over time as these regulations catch up with them, what it means for them in the medium to long term, they will only be filled with gratitude and appreciation. I would advise that these should not be point-in-time regulations,” he said.

He further added, “The speed at which AI and Gen AI are moving is so fast that we are learning every day. I am studying harder now than I was in school or college.” “These should be dynamic regulations. These should be proactive platforms that are constantly evaluating, finding flaws in what has been built and making them stronger.” He added that this can only be achieved when the government and enterprises come together. Tandon further highlighted the role of the government in AI adoption and implementation and said that the government should play the role of a catalyst and not the owner. He added, “This way you can accelerate it and take it across the world.” “I would point to two pillars: computing capacity. I think the government has to play a big role in making sure that this is available. Along with computing capacity, there will be a lot of power required because these GPUs are power hungry. The government has to help with that,” he said. “Training at the grassroots level, availability of knowledge and making it accessible to the wider population will also be very valuable,” he added.

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