Amid widespread IT layoffs, Wipro’s Chief Strategist Hari Shetty says AI will expand, not shrink, India’s tech job market. He argues the shift toward autonomous enterprises will create new demand for advanced skills, making AI a long-term growth driver for IT services.
For months now, headlines have been dominated by debates around AI and rapidly evolving technology — and that conversation isn’t going away anytime soon. But according to Wipro’s Chief Strategist and Technology Officer Hari Shetty, the shift is unlikely to hurt India’s IT services industry.
At a time when thousands are being laid off across the IT sector, Shetty believes AI will not shrink demand for tech jobs. Instead, he argues, it will create more work and new opportunities for IT companies, according to Reuters.
When AI can perform why do we need people?
The real fear is that if machines are able to do coding, replace data sheets, and do effective and fast paced work, will companies still be requiring thousands of employees to perform the same task on payrolls?
Shetty sees the industry with a different perspective. He said, “When you look at the entire gamut of things that’s possible, it really appears like a large opportunity for us.”
“What you’re seeing today is basically task automation. What we are really talking about is autonomous enterprise, which is a completely different ball game that will require IT services companies to work deeply with clients to actually convert them,” he added.
Surface-level use of AI
In simple terms, Shetty emphasised on the surface-level use of AI technology. He believes IT firms will move from executing instructions to working closely with clients on how their businesses actually run.
Shetty did not categorise AI as the coming threat but as “biggest opportunity.” He said debates around AI often get stuck on job losses, while missing how deeply it can change the kind of work companies ask IT partners to do.
He agreed to AI curating more job space worldwide. In India’s IT sector, Shetty said demand will grow for skills that go beyond traditional programming, including model training, data curation and responsible AI practices.
“The primary differentiation here is people who know AI and people who do not know AI,” he said.
“We clearly think AI is a dominant force, at least for the next decade to two decades, in terms of the kind of business that it will drive,” he added.
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