Archive · 6 Oct 2026
India Must Build R&D Skills as AI Reshapes Jobs
The article says artificial intelligence may change many jobs that Indian workers do today.
India has many young people who need good jobs, but building data centers or assembling imported parts may not provide enough of them.
The author thinks India should work with major international companies on research and engineering.
Those companies could also help universities build better labs and train more students.
The article says small businesses need help growing and becoming more productive, too.
Better education could prepare more people for skilled work.
The author believes these steps could help India earn more from products and ideas it develops, rather than mainly from writing or maintaining software.
The article presents this as an opinion about how India can prepare for AI.
The opinion piece warns that AI agents could reduce the value of Indian programmers’ work and challenge a technology-services sector supporting six million jobs.
It argues that data-center investments and low-wage electronics assembly alone are unlikely to create enough well-paid employment.
The author recommends partnering with multinational technology companies on research, university investment, and advanced engineering facilities.
The piece calls for expanding high-quality science and engineering education while helping small businesses raise productivity and scale.
It says India should pursue global collaboration and stronger domestic capabilities before AI weakens the labor-cost advantage behind outsourcing.
- Who
- The opinion piece concerns India's government, businesses, young people, workers, universities, and multinational companies.
- What
- It argues that India should respond to AI by building research capabilities, improving education, collaborating with global firms, and supporting small businesses.
- When
- The article discusses the current rise of AI and India's development ambitions for 2047.
- Where
- India, with examples including Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
- Why
- The author argues that AI may erode India's advantage in software services, while existing industrial policies may not create enough high-paying jobs.
Domestic industrial policy
Global R&D collaboration
How to build technology capabilities
Domestic industrial policy
The government is using incentives to encourage domestic manufacturing, including electronics, smartphones, and semiconductors; the article says production can help workers learn through experience.
Global R&D collaboration
The author argues that India should rely more on multinational companies' existing research centers, encourage their investment in universities and labs, and avoid trying to build entire supply chains without domestic technology.
Data centers and employment
Domestic industrial policy
Local politicians are courting cloud companies with land grants and subsidized solar energy, potentially positioning India as a source of inexpensive AI computing.
Global R&D collaboration
The author cautions that data centers will create few jobs and proposes contributing some memory chips to a shared research cloud for universities and research centers.
Manufacturing and job quality
Domestic industrial policy
Incentives for assembly and semiconductor production may support manufacturing and learning in production.
Global R&D collaboration
The author says low-wage assembly alone will not create a strong middle class and argues for higher-value manufacturing, support for small businesses, and more skilled research jobs.
- Technology-services exports
- A $250 billion export engine supporting 6 million jobs, according to the article.
- Young population
- The article describes India's Generation Z population as almost 400 million.
- Merchandise exports
- India's share of global merchandise exports is described as less than 2%.
- Semiconductor incentives
- The government announced a $13.4 billion incentive package for semiconductor manufacturing.
- Multinational companies
- They employ 2.4 million professionals in India and generate nearly $100 billion in annual revenue, according to the article.
- STEM degrees
- India awards 3 million undergraduate and graduate degrees annually in science, technology, engineering, and medicine, the article says.
- Small-scale workers
- The article cites more than 15 million people working as handloom weavers, knitters, and tailors, and another 5 million in small food-processing operations.