Anupam Mittal warns against deep-tech push, calls for practical AI skilling for real jobs
Sharing a photo of an elderly woman wearing a Blinkit delivery jacket, he wrote, "Saw this woman the other day, and thought maybe she should learn Python. Perhaps she can fine-tune an LLM too, while delivering your groceries."
ADVERTISEMENT
Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com and Shark Tank India judge, has issued a stark warning about India's growing obsession with deep-tech, arguing that the country's current skilling infrastructure is dangerously out of sync with lofty AI ambitions.
In a thought-provoking LinkedIn post on Saturday, Mittal expressed concern that India is mimicking Western narratives around artificial intelligence without acknowledging the nation's unique socio-economic challenges.
Read More: Six words that changed Anupam Mittal’s life
Sharing a photo of an elderly woman wearing a Blinkit delivery jacket, he wrote, "Saw this woman the other day, and thought maybe she should learn Python. Perhaps she can fine-tune an LLM too, while delivering your groceries."
"Every time I say India needs jobs along with deep-tech, someone sends me a whitepaper on AI skilling. Basically parroting the West without understanding our own reality," Mittal wrote.
He acknowledged the sweeping changes brought on by AI globally, stating, "AI replacement and automation is happening at the top cos in the world including Microsoft, Meta, Google. Their CEOs are on record: 40-50 per cent of work processes will be AI-driven in 2-3 years. Yes, true!"
However, Mittal emphasized that those countries - unlike India - have low populations, high formal employment rates, and substantial reskilling budgets.
Reflecting on his time in the US, he said, "When I worked in the US, every time a new tech or software rolled out, we were upskilled in real time not just as individuals, but across the entire organisation. India is not there yet given that most are self-employed."
He credited the gig economy for enabling employment for millions, particularly in a country that holds nearly 20 percent of the world's population. But he also cautioned that this sector remains fragile.
"The gig economy is a blessing. But when we start touting deep-tech as the only solution to all our problems, we endanger the livelihoods of a billion plus nation," Mittal warned.
