Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani’s recent presentation about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the global economy, particularly on jobs, has taken the internet by storm. As a part of his presentation on Infosys AI Investor Day 2026 in Bengaluru, Nilekani claimed that AI is reshaping business in a way that no tech revolution has done before, suggesting that the AI wave will drive a complete revolution of ‘talent’ and tech jobs. 

As per Nilekani, the ongoing revolution is set to make a lot of techies that had been hired in vast quantities across India near obsolete and pave the way for new AI-based roles. According to his analysis, over 90 million jobs are at risk today. 

Engineers trained to perform specific functions like front-end developers, QA testers, IT support specialists, blockchain developers are no longer relevant, Nilekani claimed. 

As per his analysis, to make up for the jobs lost, AI will open the scope for at least 170 million jobs for specific roles like data annotators, AI forensic analysts, AI leads, AI engineers and forward deployed engineers. 

Nilekani’s claims have sparked wide-spreak debate about the ‘larger IT workforce re-structuring’ that’s been taking place in 2026. This article analyses data and reports from platforms like Linkedin and educational institutions like Stanford to present you with the larger picture of the transformation of India’s IT Industry. 

5 new tech roles in focus 

“We cannot run the business in the same way. Talent will face different challenges,” Nilekani stated. He described a world where “writing code will no longer be the goal”. Instead, the focus has shifted to a “massive clean-up” of tech debt. Companies are now spending 60-70% of their budgets just to make old systems AI-ready.

Some of the roles that are set to receive the benefit of the large flow of capital into building AI native workplace systems as per data obtained from LinkedIn, Stanford and Nilekani’s presentation have been listed as below: 

1. AI Engineers

These workers will be expected to build, deploy and scale Large Language Models (LLMs) and custom AI layers engineered to enhance workflow management at IT hubs.

2. AI Forensic Analysts 

AI forensic analysts utilize machine learning, AI algorithms, and automated tools to identify, preserve, and analyze digital evidence from cyberattacks, data breaches, and, or, malicious incidents. These workers also monitor LLMs for bias, safety, and traceability.

They speed up investigations by automating the sifting of vast, complex data sets, identifying patterns, and reconstructing attack timelines to strengthen cybersecurity defenses.

3. Forward-Deployed Engineers 

Contrary to what many expect when they hear the term ‘forward-deployed engineers’, these workers don’t just sit in a lab instead these ‘field’ engineers work directly with clients (like banks or hospitals) to deploy AI into their specific workflows and create customized solutions for enterprises. 

ALSO READ

4. Agentic Workflow Architects 

These workers are typically tasked with designing “AI Workers” or agents that can handle entire business processes (like HR onboarding or supply chain tracking) autonomously. Agentic Workflow Architects are expected to be one of the most in-demand roles as firms race to increase their ‘organisational efficiency’ by utilising custom AI systems.

5. Data annotators 

These workers clean and “label” the massive amounts of data needed to train AI. While once considered low-skill, this role now requires domain specific expertise (e.g., medical data curation.)

General data annotators while essentially the foundation of building and training artificial intelligence models command the lowest salary in this list.  Unlike previous roles, the demand for these roles is largely based in developing countries and the global south, where a lot of big tech companies have set up their data labeling units. Demand for these roles is likely to stem from tier-2 Indian cities and countries like Vietnam, Kenya.

What does LinkedIn and market data reveal? 

Data from LinkedIn and Stanford matches with Nilekani’s predictions and even shows how a lot of Indian companies and workers have already jumped on the trend of creating an AI educated workforce. 

As per LinkedIn’s 2026 The fastest-growing jobs in India are heavily dominated by AI, with Prompt Engineer ranking #1, followed by AI Engineer (#2) and Manager of Artificial Intelligence (#4).

Demand for Manager of Artificial intelligence or AI department heads is also expected to increase as organisations look for individuals with expertise in this domain who can streamline their operations and help them go ‘AI native’.

According to the Stanford AI Index Report 2025, India recorded the highest year-over-year rise in AI hiring in 2024 at 33.4%, ahead of Brazil (30.8%) and Saudi Arabia (28.7%). In practical terms, the share of AI talent hiring in India grew 33.4% faster than overall hiring, indicating that companies are prioritising AI roles far more aggressively than general recruitment.

The report also places India among the global leaders in AI skill penetration, suggesting a large portion of the workforce is actively upskilling through AI courses, certifications and training programs.

ALSO READ

LinkedIn’s advice for young professionals and students 

As per LinkedIn’s labour market (Future of work report) published in January 2026, employers are urgently seeking a blend of technical fluency and distinctly human capabilities (like adaptability, problemsolving, and communication) across a variety of roles. 

“The blend of AI skills (both AI engineering skills and AI literacy skills) and distinctly human capabilities is what will give companies an advantage. It will be up to business leaders to embed upskilling into talent strategies, leveraging tools and programs that create pathways for employees to thrive in an AI-driven economy,” the report states. 

The report recommends students and young professionals to focus on building hybrid skills like technical fluency (AI adaptive), manual capability ( not over-reliant on AI systems) and continual adaptability (willingness to learn and ability to deal with people.) 

Many roles as we have known them will undergo this transformation into a new collar. As per the LinkedIn report, In the past two years, employers have created at least 1.3 million AI‑related job opportunities, including data annotators, AI engineers, and forward‑deployed engineers.