India Plays Down AI Job Threat, Plans Indigenous Apps Before February Summit

Overview

• IT Secretary S Krishnan said India faces a lower risk of AI-driven disruption to cognitive and white-collar roles than Western economies due to its workforce structure.
• A smaller share of white-collar employment and a diverse base across manufacturing, agriculture, and services reduce overall exposure to automation of cognitive tasks.
• A large portion of India’s white-collar jobs sits in STEM fields, positioning workers to build and adapt AI tools rather than be easily replaced.
• Krishnan expects continued need for humans in the loop because generative models can err or hallucinate, with AI viewed as augmenting productivity rather than eliminating roles quickly.
• The government is prioritizing upskilling for sector-specific AI deployment and says an indigenised application model is under development, expected before the India AI Summit in February 2026.