The Infosys co-founder and chairman said AI will create greater demand for skilled professionals who can lead enterprise transformation, speaking at an event in New Delhi.
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has dismissed warnings of widespread job losses caused by artificial intelligence (AI) as “disaster marketing”, arguing that AI adoption will increase demand for technology services and enterprise transformation.
Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday, Nilekani said companies such as Infosys would need more people as businesses work to integrate AI into their operations.
“The requirement for companies like Infosys or others is actually more than ever before because the transformation of enterprises is a very complex activity, and AI requires fundamentally reimagining the way you do it,” Nilekani said.
His remarks came in response to concerns about AI’s potential impact on employment, including comments by International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who described AI as a “slow-moving tsunami” for jobs.
Nilekani Says AI Adoption Will Create More Work for IT Firms
Nilekani argued that adopting AI across large organisations involves much more than introducing new tools or automating individual tasks. Technology companies will have to help businesses redesign processes, develop new capabilities and retrain employees.
He said AI technology has advanced much faster than its deployment, leaving companies with substantial work to do before they can fully integrate it into their operations.
Nilekani also pointed out that coding accounts for only around 30% of a technology project, while the remaining 70% involves governance, change management, business transformation and safeguards.
Although AI can make coding more productive, he said, companies must also ensure that AI systems produce reliable results and operate within defined boundaries.
“How do you make sure your AI bots don’t hallucinate? How do you make sure agents don’t go wrong? These are the things we need to worry about,” he said.
According to Nilekani, these challenges will create opportunities for IT service providers to guide enterprises through the transition. Companies will also need to reskill their workforces and build new capabilities to work effectively with AI.
Nilekani Proposes Technology-Led Changes to India’s Examination System
Nilekani also discussed potential reforms to India’s examination system amid concerns over paper leaks, including the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
As head of the high-powered task force on examination reforms, he said India should consider generating question papers shortly before an examination rather than relying on a fixed paper prepared in advance.
He proposed creating a large question bank from which technology could generate the paper at the last minute, reducing the financial incentive for question papers to be leaked or sold.
“Because the moment you have a question paper, it creates an economic incentive for it to be sold,” Nilekani said.
He also advocated computer-based testing across examinations, supported by a network of testing centres.
Nilekani said these changes would require systemic reforms and that the committee was keen to address the issues and implement solutions.
His comments highlighted two potential applications of technology in India: helping businesses manage AI-led transformation and strengthening examination systems against leaks and other vulnerabilities.
Source: Forbes
Infosys Chairman and Co-founder Nandan Nilekani at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 in New Delhi. Photo courtesy of BNEF
