AI can create more jobs than it potentially eliminates – Gurnani

CP Gurnani, the outgoing CEO of Tech Mahindra, an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company, has expressed optimism about the job creation potential of Generative AI technology.

Despite concerns about its impact on the job market, Gurnani told news agency Reuters that Generative AI has the capacity to generate more jobs than it is expected to eliminate.

“The use cases of Generative AI are still being defined, which means that it has the potential to create more job opportunities in the future. Undoubtedly, the possibilities are just opening, and there is more to come,” CP Gurnani said in an interview.

AI technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have taken the world by storm in the past year with their uncannily human-like responses and the ability to write everything from novels and poems to complex computer code.

Also Read: Paris Peace Forum offers platform to discuss artificial intelligence

While concerns have been raised by some industry executives about potential job losses, Gurnani, one of the longest-serving CEOs in the $245-billion Indian IT sector, remains optimistic.

He suggested that skilled professionals will not be replaced and that new jobs will emerge, leading to an expanded job market.

Gurnani’s perspective aligns with that of other industry leaders, including Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, who has dismissed the notion of coders losing jobs to Generative AI tools like ChatGPT as something that “will never happen.”

Despite varying estimates on potential job losses due to Generative AI, recent research from the European Central Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO) indicates that significant job loss has not occurred due to Gen AI-enabled automation.

Gurnani urged young engineers to adapt to the changing world and invest more time in independently learning new skills.