In 2017, McKinsey predicted that up to 800 million jobs could disappear worldwide by 2030 due to automation. In India, the question isn’t if automation will reshape the job market, but how quickly it’s already doing it.
Walk through a coworking space in Bangalore. Scroll through a startup pitch deck. Or just open your LinkedIn feed. AI is not “coming.” It’s already embedded. It’s writing, filtering, hiring, coding, answering, faster than you can say “ChatGPT.” And yet, most people: freelancers, employees, managers are not adapting. The first industrial revolution took nearly 80 years to spread. Artificial intelligence is transforming global industries in less than a year. But here’s the truth: AI won’t replace you. Someone using it better than you will.
This article is not about fear. It’s about urgency. If you’re based in India, one of the fastest-moving AI ecosystems on the planet, this matters even more. Because in a country that automates faster.
In a country this fast, if you’re not running with it, you’re already behind. Let’s be clear. AI won’t “take your job” in some dramatic, robotic coup. It’ll happen in silence. One day, you’ll realize your colleague is closing deals faster. That freelancer is delivering twice as much content. That manager handles three teams without blinking. They didn’t get smarter overnight. They just started using better tools. AI doesn’t replace people. It amplifies the people who know what to do with it. And in a market like India, competitive, ambitious, tech-literate, those people are already multiplying.
If you’re still managing your tasks manually, still doing repetitive work because “that’s how it’s always been”, still unsure about what AI can do for you…You’re not slow. You’re exposed. And no, you don’t need to become a prompt engineer. You don’t have to learn Python or build your own chatbot.
So what can you do?
No, you don’t need to become a prompt engineer. You don’t have to learn Python or build your own chatbot. But you do need to understand what’s already possible and start using it. That begins with a mindset shift: stop treating GPT like a search engine and start engaging with it as a real partner in your workflow. Instead of repeating the same tasks every day, you can begin automating them. Tools like N8N or Make allow you to build simple systems that handle follow-ups, generate reports, send emails, or trigger reminders. You don’t need a computer science degree to streamline your work, just the willingness to experiment. Even one hour a week spent exploring these tools can make a difference. It’s not about perfection; it’s about momentum. You won’t need approval from your manager or your clients. You just need to begin. Across India, this is already happening. SMEs in Bangalore are replacing night-shift customer service reps with WhatsApp bots built in two weeks. Logistics startups in Pune are using Make to automate delivery reports and customer notifications. Not because they want to cut jobs, but because they can’t afford to be slow anymore.
India doesn’t need to wait for the next AI superpower
India has the capacity to become one. That is what sovereignty means today: not just owning infrastructure, but shaping intent. This is not just a matter of employment. It’s a matter of power. AI’s greatest threat isn’t merely automation; it’s the erosion of our autonomy. Those who don’t understand how AI systems are built will become reliant on tools they didn’t design, trained on datasets that ignore their context, and deployed with goals they didn’t choose.
In the twentieth century, nations like India and Tunisia imagined a third way: a space between global powers, where non-aligned countries could chart their own paths. Today, AI presents a similar choice. We can accept a model of intelligence shaped elsewhere, with all its blind spots and biases, or we can build one that reflects our cultures, our languages, and our social priorities.
But such a vision won’t emerge from institutions alone. It starts with people—individuals who refuse to remain passive in the face of disruption. AI doesn’t have to remain a black box. We have both the power and the responsibility to shape it, not simply to make it faster or cheaper, but to ensure that it is meaningful and fair.
In conclusion
This kind of AI will not be born in Silicon Valley alone. If we don’t act fast, we won’t just import new technologies; we’ll import someone else’s vision of the future. It must rise from the Global South, from engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and citizens who know that progress means nothing without inclusion. Not just regulation. Not just adoption. But creation is grounded in local needs, shared across aligned nations, and shaped by those who live with the consequences.
Author
Mehdi Ghazzai is a French-Tunisian expert in strategic communication and AI systems. Former Senior Communication Consultant for the British Council across the MENA region, he designed cultural programs, trained diverse teams and launched pioneering engagement campaigns. Former Head of Communication for the Institut Français in India, he managed institutional PR, forged media partnerships and oversaw major events. Founder of SystèmeGagnant.fr, he merges AI-driven automation with narrative strategy to optimize outreach and efficiency. Currently, he advises startups, companies, public institutions and global organizations on strategic AI adoption, empowering them to harness cutting-edge technologies for impactful, human-centered communication.
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