AI to boost employment in India, encourage evolution in job market

Artificial intelligence (AI) is encouraging a gradual evolution in the job market that, with the right preparation, will be positive. New jobs will offset those lost. People will still work, but they'll work more efficiently with the help of AI, according to a PwC 2018 report.

Another report on AI by Gartner said that faster upskilling means faster AI deployment. Elucidating on it, the report further said, "Enterprises that intend to take full advantage of AI shouldn't just bid for the most brilliant computer scientists. If they want to get AI up and running quickly, they should move to provide functional specialists with AI literacy. Larger organizations should prioritize by determining where AI is likely to disrupt operations first and start upskilling there."

Microsoft is treading on the same path. The company aims to skill over 10,000 developers. It also plans to set up AI labs in 10 universities and train 5 lakh youths across the country over the next three years, said Rohini Srivastav, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India, while addressing a two-day conference at the company's R&D centre in Bengaluru.

As part of the Intelligent Cloud Hub program, Microsoft will support selected institutions with best-in-class infrastructure, onsite training for faculty and students, curriculum and content, access for participating students to cloud and AI services, developmental tools and developer support.

The company will also offer a wide range of AI developmental tools and Azure AI Services such as Microsoft Cognitive Services, Azure Machine Learning and Bot Services. Training will include development workshops to help both the faculty and students build their skills and expertise in cloud computing, data sciences, AI and IoT. Additionally, it will assist faculty in strategizing content and curriculum for project-based and experiential learning.

For research focused institutions, Microsoft will provide AI-based recommendations for potential areas of research. Support will also be available in terms of an in-campus Cloud Software Research Associate throughout the duration of the program.

According to a recent TeamLease report, India's IT industry will see an addition of around 2.5 lakh new jobs in 2019. The HR and staffing solutions provider said that the adoption of emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and robotics for automation is driving the industry's growth.

Besides fresh hiring, IT sector will focus on upskilling employees which is estimated to increase by around 20 percent, the TeamLease report said.

While statements like robots and AI will destroy jobs have made headlines, the Gartner report states that in 2020, AI will become a positive net job motivator. It will create 2.3 million jobs while only eliminating 1.8 million jobs.

In 2021, AI augmentation will generate $2.9 trillion in business value and recover 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity. By 2022, one in five workers engaged in mostly non-routine tasks will rely on AI to do their jobs, as per the report.