Will generative AI like ChatGPT replace humans in most jobs? What IT major TCS has to say

Posted by Admin February 26, 2023 Jobs

Ever since ChatGPT, an artificial-intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, came to light a few months back, speculations and rumours are doing the round that such chatbot tools will replace humans at workplaces in many sectors. But IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) feels otherwise.

Milind Lakkad, the chief human resources officer (CHRO) of TCS, is of the view that generative artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT will create an “AI co-worker” and not replace jobs. However, he said that the job definitions will change.

Lakkad said such tools will help improve productivity, but not change the business models for companies.

Generative AI will be a co-worker, he said adding that co-worker will take time to understand the context of the customer.

The context for a job to be executed will be industry and customer-centric, which will continue to come from the human who is being assisted in tasks by such a co-worker, Lakkad said in an interview with PTI.

“It is not that jobs will get replaced, but the job definitions will change,” he noted. His comments will probably assuage concerns of many about future of jobs in the sector, which is dominated by players like TCS which employs more than 6 lakh employees in the country.

The launch of AI chatbot tools like ChatGPT has stoked apprehensions that whether a trained human is needed at all to perform tasks at workplaces and deliver the work which a technology company offers to clients. There are already various examples where such tools are generating entire codes. One of the reasons for massive layoffs especially in the tech space across the world is being attributed to emergence of such intuitive platforms.

Lakkad of the view that the amount of work to be done by a human being versus the generative AI platforms will vary as per industry as well.

If anything, it will reduce the need for managerial talent but the demand for workers lower down the hierarchy will continue as they will get crucial skills on the context front, he said.