Artificial intelligence - Adapt and adopt

 

ARTIFCIAL INTELLIGENCE – ADAPT AND ADOPT A PRAGMATIC APPROACH

“Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s largest IT services firm, is laying off about 2% of its workforce, over 12,000 employees, during the course of 2025. The decision comes as the company adjusts to global business uncertainties and rapid changes brought by artificial intelligence(AI).”

Economic times -28^th July 2025

“IT major Infosys will continue to hire in order to support the growth guidance, and will develop everything inside the company to be ‘AI first’ “

- Salil Parekh, CEO Infosys.

Approaches polls apart while the subject is same; Artificial Intelligence and employment avenues. While TCS is laying off its work force, Infosys is hiring more and both giving one of the reasons as AI.

The human race has been inventing fresh ideas and techniques from the time immemorial and now AI is another in the same queue. We invented FIRE, WHEEL, IRON, PAPER, ELECTRICITY, PRINTING, AUTOMOBILE, TELEPHONE, COMPUTERS, INTERNET and now ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. This is the basic requirement of our existence, to move ahead, to grow. However, the growth, we all well know, can also cause CANCER. Fresh inventions need to create fresh avenues for society to grow, instead of eating up the society.  Always there are fears of disruptions, loosing jobs etc as and when a new idea and technique takes birth, but again always, we have overcome such disruptions and secured jobs for many (even if there is unemployment). The problems rather apprehensions that we encountered at the time of inventions of Computers that jobs will go and disruptions will be uncontrollable, are erupting again with AI.

I recall an event of Hindi celebration in Kolar (Karnataka) in 1996, where one professor of Hindi, while speaking on the topic of Computers ka mahatva (Importance of Computers), said that if your register is burnt you can make another register but if your computer is burnt then you lost everything. He was echoing the apprehension of probable disruptions from computers. We have all witnessed that nothing of that sort has happened and we could overcome the problems that came our way.

Internet also has its share of apprehensions, but the world now runs on that and we can’t think of day (or even an hour) without internet. Problems came and solved, jobs lost and regained, and earth continues to rotate.

Now AI has become a new buzzword for growth and advancement. Everyone desires to adopt AI very fast. However, to avoid any possible disruptions we must adapt to it before adopting. Creating a panic by going TCS way will further enhance the apprehensions, rather following Infosys approach will give hope and optimism. Let’s embrace the change for good and adapt to the new reality. While taking AI in every sphere of our working, the following need to be ensured.

That sufficient numbers of quality resources are available to control AI. Let the real intelligence keep control over Artificial. This will be a pool of experts who know how to create, enhance and control AI.

The users of AI are given due training and education on the subject so that its usage can be optimized without disruptions.

New job avenues are created by enhancement in economic activities so that jobs lost can be replenished with jobs created. This need to be initiated from the Government level. It must be explored that how can we enhance economic activities that create more jobs due to usage of AI. This is important as new jobs need to balance the jobs lost.

New research centres are created to explore the use of AI in various existing fields of operations so that in existing activities optimization is achieved.

Let us move ahead and enhance human intelligence through Artificial Intelligence.