Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President of Microsoft India Development Center | Photo Credit: VIJAY KUMAR T

Artificial Intelligence is poised to create more opportunities than it disrupts, and Indian engineers must shift their focus from job security fears of collaborating with the technology, a senior Microsoft India executive has said.

Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President of Microsoft India Development Center (IDC), in a blog post on Thursday, said the rapid evolution of technology is shrinking the lifespan of technical skills, making continuous learning and adaptability crucial for the workforce.

Need for continuous learning amid changing skill landscape

Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, which surveyed over 1,000 employers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies, Kumar noted that 39 per cent of core job skills are expected to change by 2030. In India specifically, an estimated 63 per cent of the workforce will need significant upskilling or reskilling by the same year.

“Virtually every major technology wave in history has ultimately created more opportunities than it destroyed... The real question is not whether new jobs will exist but how ready we are to step into those roles. The key to success will be the ability to adapt and learn these new skills. For young engineers, the key will be to ‘learn to learn’; this ability will help them adapt and take on the new and redefined roles,” he said.

Kumar stated that the conversation among young engineers is already shifting from concerns about Artificial Intelligence (AI) replacing them to finding ways to collaborate with the technology.

New AI roles emerging across industries

He drew parallels with the advent of the internet in 1995, emphasising that virtually every major technological wave has ultimately generated more opportunities than it destroyed.

“New roles like AI trainers, agent specialists, AI security experts, and many more are already emerging across Indian companies,” Kumar said, adding that the real challenge is the readiness of the workforce to step into these redefined roles.

He observed that employers are increasingly adopting skills-based hiring, prioritising a candidate’s potential and ability to learn over traditional credentials.

AI becoming a partner for higher-value work

According to Microsoft’s latest ‘Work Trend Index 2026’, a majority of global AI users reported that the technology has enabled them to focus on high-value work and produce results they could not have achieved previously. AI is increasingly being utilised as a “thought partner” for deeper cognitive tasks, such as analysing information, problem-solving, and creative thinking.

“AI can help you code; it cannot decide your goals, understand your customer, or define what matters,” he noted, adding that judgment informed by experience, ethics, and empathy is what sets great professionals apart.

India’s engineering talent a key advantage

Highlighting India’s unique advantage, Kumar said the country combines the world’s second-largest engineering talent pool with immense digital ambition and the ability to innovate at scale.

He cited the Microsoft India Development Center (IDC) in Hyderabad, the company’s largest research and development hub outside the US, as a prime example of Indian teams acting as architects of global innovation rather than mere participants.

Published on June 11, 2026