Artificial intelligence will create more opportunities than it destroys, and the focus should be on preparing workers for new roles rather than worrying about job losses, according to Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President of Microsoft India Development Center (IDC).
In a blog post published on Thursday, Kumar said the rapid pace of technological change is shortening the lifespan of technical skills, making continuous learning increasingly important.
“Virtually every major technology wave in history has ultimately created more opportunities than it destroyed,” he said.
“The real question is not whether new jobs will exist but how ready we are to step into those roles.”
Skills requirements are changing
Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, Kumar said 39 per cent of core job skills are expected to change by 2030.
The report surveyed more than 1,000 employers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies.
In India, he said, an estimated 63 per cent of the workforce will require significant upskilling or reskilling by 2030.
For young engineers, Kumar said, the ability to “learn to learn” would be essential.
That capability, he added, would help professionals adapt to new and evolving roles.
According to Kumar, discussions among young engineers are increasingly shifting from fears about AI replacing jobs to finding ways to work alongside the technology.
He compared the rise of AI with the arrival of the internet in 1995, saying earlier technological shifts had eventually generated more jobs than they displaced.
“New roles like AI trainers, agent specialists, AI security experts, and many more are already emerging across Indian companies,” Kumar said.
The challenge, he added, lies in ensuring workers are ready to take up those positions.
Employers are focusing more on skills
Kumar said companies are increasingly embracing skills-based hiring.
Rather than relying solely on traditional qualifications, employers are placing greater emphasis on a candidate’s potential and ability to learn.
He also referred to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2026, which found that most AI users globally said the technology had helped them focus on higher-value tasks and achieve results that would otherwise have been difficult.
AI is increasingly being used as a “thought partner” for tasks such as:
- Analysing information
- Solving problems
- Creative thinking
“AI can help you code; it cannot decide your goals, understand your customer, or define what matters,” Kumar said.
He added that experience, ethics and empathy remain qualities that distinguish top professionals.
India’s engineering talent gives it an advantage
Kumar said India benefits from having the world’s second-largest engineering talent pool, strong digital ambitions and the ability to innovate at scale.
He pointed to the Microsoft India Development Center in Hyderabad, the company’s largest research and development hub outside the United States, as an example of Indian teams contributing to global innovation.
TL;DR:
Microsoft India IDC chief Rajiv Kumar said AI will create more jobs than it disrupts, with new roles already emerging across Indian companies. He stressed the need for continuous learning, noting that 63% of India’s workforce will need upskilling or reskilling by 2030.
AI summary:
- Rajiv Kumar said AI will create more opportunities than it destroys.
- WEF data shows 39% of core job skills will change by 2030.
- About 63% of India’s workforce will need upskilling or reskilling.
- New roles such as AI trainers and AI security experts are emerging.
- Kumar said India’s engineering talent gives the country a strong position in AI.
