AI’s Economic Impact: The End of the Generalist Career

At an India Today conclave, Rajiv Gupta, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), presented findings from a major study on the AI economy and its implications for jobs in India. His analysis, conducted for NITI Aayog

, explores how AI adoption—accelerated by the November 2022 launch of ChatGPT 3.5—is reshaping the Indian technology sector. Gupta projects that by 2030, AI could displace approximately 1.5 million jobs in India’s tech industry. However, if India embraces the transition strategically, it could create up to 4 million new jobs, resulting in a net gain of around 2.5 million positions.

The displacement is expected to affect roles tied to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), call centers, and BPO functions such as finance, accounting, payroll, and learning and development. These areas, which collectively employ nearly half of the current 8 million tech workers, are vulnerable due to AI-driven productivity gains. While current efficiencies range from 15% to 20%, Gupta anticipates that mature AI adoption could push this to 30%–40% by 2030, driving the bulk of the job losses.

On the flip side, the potential for job creation is tied to the expansion of the global tech economy. With global tech spending projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030, India’s share—currently $300 billion—could grow to $500 billion if it maintains its market position. Supporting this growth would require a tech workforce of 10 million, assuming a 6% annual increase in salaries. Given the anticipated loss of 1.5 million jobs from the current base, India would need to add 3.5 to 4 million new roles to meet this target.

This transition marks a pivotal moment for India. Gupta emphasizes that the shift is not merely quantitative but qualitative, with new roles emerging in highly specialized domains. The rise of positions like prompt engineers—virtually unknown before 2019 but now widely searched—illustrates this trend. Other emerging roles include AI solution engineers, AI ops engineers, AI/ML DevOps, and AI/ML architects. Frontier technologies such as quantum computing and haptics are also giving rise to niche roles like Quantum Machine Learning Engineers, Quantum Data Scientists, and Neuropathic Engineers.

Gupta argues that the age of the generalist career is coming to an end. To remain competitive, India must urgently reskill its workforce, integrate AI into its education system through co-op programs, and attract global talent. The presentation frames AI not as a threat, but as a transformative force that demands coordinated action from individuals, academia, and industry.

Globally, the World Economic Forum estimates that between 2024 and 2030, 170 million new jobs will be created while 92 million will be replaced, resulting in a net addition of 78 million jobs. For India, the challenge and opportunity lie in navigating this shift with foresight and agility.