Tech Mahindra CEO Questions Predictions of an AI-Driven Job Loss

(SeaPRwire) –   “What torments of grief you’ve endured from evils that never arrived,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19^th-century American philosopher and writer. Millions of workers are experiencing similar sentiments. How many jobs will artificial intelligence eliminate? And are these concerns perhaps unnecessary?

“The demand for human labor will not disappear,” Mohit Joshi, the chief executive of the Indian information technology giant, Tech Mahindra, states. The world is entering an era characterized by technological complexity and new business opportunities. These changes are likely to increase the need for ‘humans in the lead,’ even though the specific job roles will be significantly different.

Joshi supports his assertion with data and historical parallels. In the 1990s, many companies, apprehensive about the Millennium Bug, made substantial investments in technology upgrades as a precautionary measure. The bug, which was linked to the transition from the 20^th to the 21^st century at the turn of the millennium, never materialized. This led to predictions that tech spending would revert to 20^th-century levels. Instead, the opposite occurred, and the ‘trend to spend’ persisted.

“The demand for human labor will not go away.”

Mohit Joshi chief executive of Tech Mahindra

A similar momentum is anticipated in 2026 regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on workforces. “We believe the productivity gains will not result in immediate headcount reductions,” Joshi explains. “Significant investment will be required over the next few years to drive simplification, modernization, and optimization. Furthermore, particularly in the data domain, investment will be necessary beyond the three to five years it will take to modernize and simplify systems.”

“In the most optimistic scenario beyond that, I foresee the complexity of organizations increasing dramatically. And, if the full potential of AI is realized, economic growth will be substantially more significant. This should create more opportunity, as you will have a much larger landscape.”

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Elon Musk discusses an era of abundance, brought about by an applied AI revolution where robots could handle shopping and energy could be sourced from space. The journalist Ezra Klein has authored a book of the same title, *Abundance*, arguing that governments have a crucial role in ending the age of scarcity. Products and services are expected to change so radically that the demand for employees will increase.

“My advice to my teams is that there will always be winners,” Joshi says. “And my sense is that those who succeed will possess a few key attributes. The first is speed, as there is a tremendous premium placed on being fast. You need to be able to adapt very quickly.”

“The second is curiosity. And the final attribute, during a period of significant change, is that leaders will need a degree of empathy and kindness to effectively guide their teams.”

The ‘waterfall method’ of change is familiar to business leaders—a sequential plan where projects are strictly defined and work is often managed within departmental silos with limited opportunities for reassessment. Most now favor the ‘agile method,’ a more flexible approach to project management that encourages collaboration among teams across the business.

The key question is how to integrate AI into the agile process. “What can you do to enhance productivity and efficiency in your business?” Joshi asks. “What actions should you take to drive revenue in your business? Because while productivity is beneficial, revenue is ultimately the most critical aspect.”

“…at a time of great change, leaders will need a degree of empathy and kindness to be able to carry teams along with them.”

Mohit Joshi

The return on AI investment will be the primary metric that boards will want to see. “It is very clear that organizations will become much flatter,” Joshi states. “You will have individuals at the top with a significantly broader span of control. Instead of the traditional pyramid structure we’ve had, you might see a more expanded middle tier.” Employees with five to ten years of experience will become increasingly valuable.

Not everything is digital. Joshi laughs as they both notice they are writing with pens on paper (it aids his thinking). He encourages his children to read physical books, offering a small pocket-money reward for each one completed.

“What I tell my children, almost obsessively, is that the ability to read and write well will never become obsolete. So, read as widely as you can early in life, because you will never again have this opportunity for uninterrupted periods of time to read, nor will your memory ever be as sharp to absorb as much as you can today. Learn to speak and write eloquently, and I believe everything else will fall into place.”