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Microsoft AI Chief Warns of Rapid Automation as India Study Finds Productivity, Not Mass Layoffs

Fresh India data points to productivity gains with a pivot to hybrid AI skills.

Overview

  • Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman predicted most professional tasks could be fully automated within 12–18 months, citing approaching human‑level performance.
  • Microsoft’s analysis of 200,000 Copilot interactions found high task overlap in many white‑collar roles, including translators at 98%, writers at 85% and journalists at 81%.
  • An ICRIER/OpenAI survey of 650 Indian IT firms found productivity gains outnumber declines by about 3.5:1, with overall employment still growing though entry‑level hiring has moderated.
  • Hiring is shifting toward hybrid profiles, as 63% of firms seek candidates combining domain expertise with AI or data skills, yet only about 4% trained more than half their workforce in AI skills.
  • UC Berkeley field research links enterprise generative AI to task expansion, longer hours and burnout, while consulting views such as BCGX emphasize role redesign over near‑term mass job cuts.