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AI is more likely to automate tasks than eliminate jobs, depending on how work is redesigned and workers adapt, states an IIT Madras report.
The IIT Madras report stresses the importance of AI literacy, reskilling and workforce preparation. (AI Image)
Artificial intelligence (AI) could reshape career pathways and create challenges for entry-level workers, according to a whitepaper by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). The report highlights how AI adoption could affect workers differently across industries, employment categories and regions in India.
The whitepaper, titled How AI Is Reconfiguring Work in India: A Task-Based Framework for Understanding Augmentation, Displacement, New Roles and the Changing Structure of Jobs, was prepared by the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at the Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (WSAI), IIT Madras.
AI Could Affect Entry-Level Career Opportunities
The report examines how AI could change tasks and job structures across sectors such as call centres, manufacturing, banking, law, software development and creative industries.
It highlights that the impact of AI may differ for new entrants and experienced workers, as well as for formal and informal employees, urban and rural populations, and small and large businesses.
One of the key concerns is the potential impact on entry-level roles that traditionally help workers gain experience and progress to more advanced positions. If AI takes over some of the tasks through which employees develop workplace skills, the routes through which they gain experience and advance in their careers could also change.
The researchers argue that the impact of AI cannot be assessed simply by identifying which jobs are capable of being automated. Instead, it is necessary to examine how individual tasks change and whether organisations redesign jobs to accommodate new technology.
AI May Reshape Jobs Rather Than Eliminate Entire Roles
The whitepaper proposes a task-based framework to understand AI’s effects on employment. It distinguishes between AI performing tasks that were previously handled by people and AI assisting workers in completing their responsibilities.
The outcome may depend on factors such as AI capabilities, implementation costs, regulation, safety requirements and the decisions organisations make when restructuring work.
“This paper challenges the idea that AI always takes away jobs. Most jobs have tasks and only some of those can be undertaken by AI. The effect depends on the tasks, the industry, rules for AI and how much it costs to use AI. We also looked at who gains from these changes and who is affected,” states Prof Balaraman Ravindran, Head, CeRAI and WSAI, IIT Madras said.
The report also introduces the concept of “AI-cost geography”, which examines how the cost of AI tools and advanced systems could influence adoption across India. Affordable AI applications could become more accessible to smaller businesses, while systems requiring specialised expertise and infrastructure may be concentrated in larger organisations and major cities.
IIT Madras Researchers Call For Reskilling And Job Redesign
The researchers recommend promoting affordable, task-focused AI tools, investing in research on AI’s effects on Indian jobs and creating clearer pathways for workers to transition into new roles.
The report also stresses the importance of AI literacy, reskilling and workforce preparation. Employers may need to redesign existing roles and create new responsibilities related to the use, supervision and management of AI systems.
According to the whitepaper, the future impact of AI will depend not only on technological progress but also on how organisations implement these systems, restructure work and ensure workers can access emerging opportunities.
The full whitepaper is available on the CeRAI website.
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Ask News18A whitepaper by researchers at IIT Madras indicates that artificial intelligence could reshape career pathways and create significant challenges specifically for entry-level workers by taking over foundational tasks.
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October 26, 2026, 1:28 PM IST
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