Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could eliminate up to half of existing jobs in Bengaluru and other cities in India. Speaking at the Network18 Future of Work summit on April 28, he described artificial intelligence as a major challenge for the labor market and urged policymakers to prepare for widespread disruption.
Bengaluru may see 50% job cuts due to AI
“This is the city of the future. The whole world looks at India through Bengaluru,” Shivakumar said, adding that the city’s vast talent pool makes it central to India’s tech story. But he warned that “AI can eliminate 50% of jobs in Bengaluru and various parts of the country”.
His comments quickly spread on social media, with many citizens expressing concern over the forecast. Some argued that the warning reflected the forecasts of the world’s technology leaders, while others questioned the accuracy of its numbers and the likelihood of mass job cuts.
Netizens react to the prediction
In response, a user wrote in the comments section of X’s viral post: “He just repeated what the CEO of Anthropic recently said. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei not only predicted job cuts – he warned that AI could ‘wipe out’ roughly 50% of all entry-level clerical (sic) jobs in the next one to five years.”
“50% job cuts in Bangalore due to AI is fine but is the state government considering any alternative jobs for those who have been ‘fired’? These people should definitely be placed in decent replacement jobs if they fail, increasing law and order (sic) problems,” another responded.
One said: “This is going to hurt India really badly. The sad part is – no one seems to be ready, neither the employees nor the government. Proactive policy, reskilling and transition planning is needed. Otherwise, it could be disastrous for employment, especially in IT.”
Someone also quipped, “It’s time for landlords in Bangalore to take a beating. They’ve been harassing tenants for a long time.”
Another argued: “Sounds like an exaggeration, AI will quickly reshape jobs, but mass cuts are not inevitable.”
Another user said: “And this scares me, but I’ve started learning AI. It’s better to improve before it’s too late.”
What did DK Shivakumar also say?
Speaking on the theme of the event, Shivakumar said that the government must protect its people in the current environment. He urged the creation of a human-centered plan in which artificial intelligence can be used to augment human intelligence rather than replace talent. He said that for Bengaluru to retain the title of ‘Silicon Valley of India’, it must set an example to the world in terms of implementing artificial intelligence by prioritizing reskilling of workers and ensuring inclusive growth.
Development of jobs
At the same event, N Manjula, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, also touched on layoffs due to AI. Manjula noted that “there will be a loss of several jobs”. But he added: “There will also be a lot of new job development” with the adoption of AI across industries.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Live Mint could not independently verify the claims and does not endorse them.)
