India at the Crossroads of Code and Cognition: Turning the AI Tide
“AI may write code or edit videos, but it cannot teach commitment or instil work ethic. Let honesty, punctuality, and grit be India’s competitive edge in the age of intelligent machines.”
Author Bio:
Karan Bir Singh Sidhu is a retired IAS officer of the Punjab cadre and former Special Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab. A policy commentator and strategic thinker, he writes on governance, technology, and public institutions with a focus on India’s evolving global role.
From Y2K to GPT: India's Second Big Tech Moment
India has seen such a moment before. At the turn of the millennium, as the world scrambled to fix the Y2K bug, Indian software engineers stepped up—turning a looming crisis into a springboard. That era transformed cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru into global tech outsourcing hubs. Today, a similar inflexion point is upon us—not from broken code, but from self-writing code.
With generative AI now capable of producing software, automating design, and editing videos at lightning speed, many traditional outsourcing roles—particularly in labour-intensive but high-tech areas like video editing, animation, and backend coding—are at risk of becoming obsolete. This is not a drill. The challenge this time is not just to deliver cost-effective talent but to reinvent ourselves entirely for a global digital marketplace shaped by AI.
Coding: From Craftsmanship to Conducting the Orchestra
AI tools have already demonstrated the ability to write functioning software code, debug existing programmes, and simplify complex logic. Tech giants like Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta now report that AI is contributing to over 30% of their code output. GitHub’s Copilot, for instance, saves developers nearly five hours a week. While it is unlikely that all coding jobs will vanish, it is clear that the profession is undergoing a redefinition. Routine coding tasks are being handled by machines, and the role of the developer is increasingly becoming that of an orchestrator rather than an artisan.
In India—home to the world’s largest pool of software engineers—this disruption is profound. Once a safe haven for white-collar employment, the IT sector now faces hiring slowdowns. Entry-level roles, in particular, are shrinking, with companies preferring fewer but more AI-literate staff. For junior engineers, this means fewer opportunities and steeper learning curves.
Old Mindsets Won’t Solve New Problems
Despite this seismic shift, many Indian policymakers, academics, and industry leaders remain trapped in outdated frameworks. There is still a tendency to conflate AI with robotics or view automation through the narrow lens of physical labour replacement. Questions like, “Why use a robot to clean when human labour is cheap?” miss the forest for the trees. The real battleground is cognitive labour, not manual work.
Our hesitation is costing us valuable time. Countries that adapt swiftly are already gaining ground in AI innovation, education, and industrial deployment. India must shake off its inertia and leap ahead—by acknowledging the scale of the change and preparing structurally for it.
Reinvention with a Human Edge
As AI reshapes the landscape, the answer lies not in resistance but in reinvention. Indians in creative and technical outsourcing roles must urgently upskill, reskill, and learn to work with AI—not against it. Competing with a global workforce that is already embracing these tools demands more than just technical adaptability.
This is where India can once again lead—not just by mastering AI, but by blending it with uniquely human traits. Qualities like honesty, regularity, punctuality, dexterity, humility, and above all, grit—these cannot be coded. AI may write scripts or edit videos, but it cannot teach commitment or instil work ethic. Let these be the hallmarks of Indian professionalism in the AI age.
An Unprecedented Opportunity for National Uplift
Used wisely, AI is not a threat—it’s a multiplier. A single individual, empowered with the right tools, can now achieve the output of a team. This democratisation of capability levels the playing field and unlocks untapped potential. For India, this could mean a surge in productivity, reduced drudgery, and new economic models that favour knowledge over capital intensity.
But this vision will only be realised if supported by the right industry norms, policy safeguards, and individual adaptability. Educational curricula must shift towards interdisciplinary learning and real-world applications. Policymakers must enable ethical AI use while discouraging harmful applications like deepfakes and misinformation. And industry leaders must resist nostalgia for old hierarchies and embrace the flatter, tech-driven structures of the future.
Dance in the Rain, Don’t Wait Out the Storm
The AI storm isn’t coming—it’s already here. Debating its morality or inevitability is no longer useful. What matters now is how we, as a nation, respond. India must stop hoping for stability and start preparing for evolution. We must equip ourselves with the tools of the new era and step confidently into the downpour—not as victims, but as dancers who can choreograph the rhythm of the future.
Let this be India’s AI moment: bold, inclusive, and future-ready.