Humans vs Robots: The jobs world may not be full of 'Frankenstein' fears

The first wave of enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) came with a promise that companies could automate work, cut jobs and streamline operations. But as businesses put these systems to work, many are discovering that while AI can take over sections of a task, replacing the employee altogether is a far tougher proposition.

At Wipro, this is increasingly resulting in a major redesign of work rather than a simple reduction in workforce. Sanjeev Jain, Chief Operating Officer at Wipro, said AI is getting more involved in repetitive and high-volume tasks, allowing employees to spend more time on judgement, problem-solving, creativity and customer engagement.

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"AI is changing the way work gets done, with employees and agents increasingly working together. AI takes on repetitive and high-volume tasks, allowing employees to take on higher value work that requires judgement, problem-solving, creativity, and better customer engagement," Jain said.

Software engineers, for instance, are using AI for coding and testing while spending more time validating outputs and solving complex problems. Consulting, delivery and sales teams are similarly using the technology to improve productivity while focusing on client requirements and specialised solutions.

"Companies overestimated their own readiness to adopt and adapt to AI more than AI's capability," says Hari Balaji, Partner, Technology Consulting at EY India.

Many organisations, he says, have rushed to deploy AI without first developing the necessary data foundations, governance frameworks and operating processes. That has now resulted in companies having to look beyond automation and ask how jobs themselves should be redesigned.

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The shift is already visible in India's hiring market. Recruiters and consultants say companies are increasingly using AI to automate tasks and improve productivity rather than pursuing widespread workforce cuts.

"The majority of roles on our platform are still entry-level. AI adoption has accompanied hiring growth rather than displacing it," says Kartik Narayan, CEO of Apna.co.

AI-specific job postings on Apna's platform doubled in the first quarter of FY27 from a year earlier and have nearly quadrupled over the past two years. Demand has also spread beyond software engineering to sales, business development, marketing and teaching. Overall hiring on the platform has risen around 43%.

Narayan said employers increasingly want people who can use AI tools effectively or supervise AI-enabled workflows. AI-related mentions on fresher profiles have almost doubled over the past two years as graduates try to signal their ability to work with the technology.

The business case for adoption is also broader than reducing employee numbers. Companies are using AI to improve revenue generation, customer experience and reducecosts, with workforce reduction being only one part of the equation.

DHL Express India is witnessing a similar evolution in how jobs are structured. The logistics company is transforming towards a more flexible, skills-based workforce as technology becomes an integral part in its operations.

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"Across regions, the common shift is away from fixed job descriptions towards a more skills-based and flexible workforce model," said Sunjoy Dhaawan, VP, Human Resources, DHL Express India.

He said the company increasingly needs employees who combine operational or supply-chain expertise with digital fluency, data-based judgement and the ability to adapt as technology changes how work is performed.

For frontline employees, this does not mean everyone needs to become an AI specialist. A warehouse employee or courier, for example, needs to use AI-enabled tools confidently, interpret recommendations and recognise when human intervention is required.

The bigger shift is workforce transformation

The greater impact of AI in the workplace is in work that is being done rather than just who gets the work done. As routine work becomes easier to automate, employers are placing greater value on skills that are harder to replicate through technology.

"The focus has increasingly shifted towards workforce transformation rather than workforce reduction", says Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President at TeamLease Services.

At Wipro, Jain said technical capabilities in software development, AI and machine learning, data, cloud and cybersecurity remain priorities for potential employees. But critical thinking, creativity, judgement, communication and adaptability are gaining importance alongside them.

Wipro is investing in continuous upskilling and reskilling programmes and has developed more than 90 persona-based learning pathways for specific functions.

DHL is similarly focusing on developing existing employees while selectively hiring specialist talent. Dhaawan said the company is looking for people with functional expertise, adaptability, a growth mindset, digital fluency and a willingness to continuously learn.

Anandorup Ghose, Partner at Deloitte India, said moderation in hiring of white-collar roles reflects companies absorbing excess capacity built up during the pandemic, rather than the impact of AI alone. IT services, he added, remain an outlier where AI is having a more direct impact on hiring than traditional industries.

"The ability to learn and adapt is the most valuable skill," Ghose says. "It has been so in the past and will continue in the AI/post-AI world."

According to a Bloomberg report, Goldman Sachs estimates that 8-12% of India's non-agricultural jobs could face substitution from generative AI, while 42-48% are likely to be complemented by the technology. The report also estimates that AI could perform 9-17% of tasks currently carried out by India's non-agricultural workforce.

Banks are doing more with fewer people

Banking offers a clearexample of technology translating into lower headcount.

The top 10 private banks cut their combined workforce by 10,114 employees in FY26, according to an Economic Times report. Yet the four largest lenders expanded their branch and business-centre network by about 1,289 locations during the year.

The numbers suggest that banks are increasingly able to expand their physical presence without matching it with employee additions. HDFC Bank, for instance, is moving staff from back-end operations to customer-facing roles as technology creates capacity.

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"Our focus is on enabling our people to work more productively, and with greater alignment to our customer needs, leveraging technology," HDFC Bank, Managing Director and Chief Executive Sashidhar Jagdishan wrote in his letter to shareholders. "We are consciously redeploying talent from backend functions, where we are able to bring technology-led efficiencies, to customer-facing roles."

From jobs to tasks

The emerging picture is therefore more nuanced than the early fear of widespread job losses.

At DHL, for example, conversational AI is expected to handle a larger share of routine customer-service interactions, while employees increasingly deal with complex cases, exceptions and customer relationships. In customs clearance, workers will combine domain expertise with AI-enabled tools that automate parts of high-volume processes.

This shows the broader change. Companies are segregating which parts of a job should be technology driven and which role requires human intervention.

Goldman Sachs' estimates point in the same direction. While some Indian jobs face substitution risk, a much larger share is expected to be complemented by AI.

For India, the next phase of AI could therefore be less about man versus machine and more about how companies intertwine the two for better performance.