AI will create more jobs than it eliminates, asserts IIT Madras Director

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not reduce job opportunities but will instead create more, said V. Kamakoti, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), on Sunday, August 9. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event marking the diamond jubilee year global alumni day of the Government College of Engineering in Karuppur.

Addressing concerns about AI replacing human workers, Kamakoti drew a parallel with the introduction of cash counting machines in banks. 'Earlier, cash used to be counted manually. When cash counting machines were introduced, cashiers did not lose their jobs; they learned how to use the machines. Similarly, AI training is being provided in several job sectors,' he said. He noted that IIT-M offers an 'AI for All' program, and many institutions are training their employees to use AI tools effectively.

During his speech at the alumni event, Kamakoti highlighted the role of tier-II cities such as Salem and Coimbatore in providing educational opportunities to rural students. He said one of the focus areas of the Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is encouraging rural students to pursue higher education.

The Director also pointed to the significant disparity in gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education between Tamil Nadu and the national average. 'The GER in higher studies is 50 per cent in Tamil Nadu, while it is 30 per cent nationwide,' he said. He further noted that the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to raise the national GER to 50 per cent by 2035.

Kamakoti underscored the importance of alumni contributions to institutional growth. He highlighted the strength of IIT-M's alumni network, which numbers around 60,000, and mentioned a recent donation of ₹238 crore from an alumnus as a grant. He also said alumni serve as mentors to current students, playing a crucial role in their development.