A new white paper from the Centre for Responsible AI at IIT Madras examines how artificial intelligence is changing employment in India. Published in coverage by The Indian Express on October 27, 2026, the paper, titled How AI Is Reconfiguring Work in India, argues that AI's effect on employment depends on the tasks involved rather than simply whether an occupation can be automated.
The research describes two broad patterns: AI may perform routine tasks while people check its output and handle exceptions, or it may support employees who remain responsible for the core work. Examples discussed in the report include automated customer-service calls, invoice processing, GST bookkeeping and manufacturing quality checks. The paper identifies a particular concern for entry-level workers because repetitive tasks often provide the initial experience needed to develop professional judgment. AI coding assistants, for instance, can generate routine code while senior engineers continue to oversee architecture and complex debugging.
For students and job seekers, the distinction between automating tasks and eliminating entire jobs is important. Even when an occupation remains, the work expected of beginners may change. Employers and educators may need to provide new ways for early-career workers to practise skills, assess AI outputs and build experience. The paper also discusses possible roles such as AI trainers, escalation specialists, conversation designers and robot operators.
The Indian Express reported that the paper recommends more India-specific labour-market research, affordable AI applications for smaller businesses and structured pathways to help workers move into changing roles. It also acknowledges that its examples are illustrative and that stronger evidence about the skills workers need in India remains necessary. The findings therefore describe risks and possible responses rather than a definitive prediction of job losses.