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AI Chatbots Are Overtaking India’s Call‑Centre Work

Startup claims of high automation coincide with a steep hiring slowdown.

Developers attend a meeting inside pods at the office of AI startup LimeChat in Bengaluru, India, August 19, 2025. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
People walk around a complex of software skill training centres surrounded by multiple billboards in Hyderabad, India, April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Rishika Sadam
A developer works inside the office of AI startup The Media Ant, in Bengaluru, India, August 19, 2025. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
Developers work inside the office of AI startup LimeChat in Bengaluru, India, August 19, 2025. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh

Overview

  • LimeChat says its generative agents can cut customer‑service headcount needs by up to 80%, while Reliance‑owned Haptik pitches AI agents that reduce support costs by about 30%.
  • LimeChat reports its bots now resolve roughly 70% of client queries and targets 90–95% over the next year, positioning human agents for only the hardest interactions.
  • Staffing firm TeamLease Digital says the business‑process segment added fewer than 17,000 net jobs in each of the past two years, down from 130,000 in 2022–23, out of a 1.65 million‑worker base.
  • Evidence of displacement is emerging, including a Bengaluru worker who says she was laid off as AI tools rolled out and ad agency The Media Ant replacing a six‑person call centre with a voice bot while cutting overall staff by 40%.
  • India is pushing forward as the conversational‑AI market is projected to reach about $41 billion by 2030, even as an official NITI Aayog estimate flags roughly two million routine tech roles at risk.