White-collar jobs face highest AI disruption risk, says MeitY Secretary

Artificial Intelligence is emerging as the biggest disruption risk for white-collar professionals, fundamentally altering how work is structured and performed, according to Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan.

Speaking at FICCI’s AI India Conclave, Krishnan said AI represents a departure from previous technological revolutions by targeting cognitive tasks rather than physical labour.

“If you looked at previous industrial revolutions… most of that change was around automating physical, manual work. For the first time, AI is actually replacing cognitive work. So it's people who work with their minds who are at the greatest risk of replacement by AI,” he said.

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While acknowledging concerns around job displacement, Krishnan said AI also offers a major productivity opportunity, particularly for developing economies like India. He noted that the long-term impact would depend on how effectively workers are prepared for new roles emerging from technological change.

“Immediate temptation for many companies could be to look for the early wins and forget about the long-term issues that could come up, but as the government, we are concerned on both sides of this,” he said. “It's not that we are not concerned about job losses, but we believe that the opportunities for creation of newer kinds of jobs in newer areas is far greater.”

Krishnan emphasised that reskilling and upskilling would be central to ensuring workforce relevance in an AI-driven economy.

He said preparing India’s workforce for the shift cannot be the responsibility of a single stakeholder.

“This is a task which is common to all of us. It's not just the government's job, it's not just an industry's job; it's going to be a range of stakeholders who are going to be involved in this process,” he said.

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The remarks come at a time when global companies are increasingly linking AI adoption to changes in hiring strategies, with several firms signalling reduced recruitment or leaner workforces as automation capabilities expand. At the same time, corporate leaders continue to highlight AI’s potential to drive efficiency, innovation and long-term economic growth.