AI Shift and Indian IT Jobs: Experts Warn of Urgent Need for Reskilling After TCS Layoffs

Large-scale layoffs at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have triggered fresh concerns about whether India’s vast IT workforce is prepared for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. As AI automates routine coding tasks, experts warn that the future of Indian developers will depend on their ability to adapt, reskill, and embrace problem-solving roles rather than purely execution-based work.

📊 India’s AI Talent Gap

According to Nasscom President Rajesh Nambiar, India had 425,000 AI professionals as of August 2022 against a demand of 600,000–650,000, a gap expected to widen to 53% by 2027 if supply doesn’t keep pace.

“Adaptability, agility and continuous skilling cannot be an afterthought,” Nambiar said, adding that over 1.5 million professionals have already undergone AI and GenAI training by Q4FY25.

🔄 Redefining the IT Role

Ramesh Jampula, VP–IT at Dell, stressed that AI is not replacing IT professionals but redefining their contributions.

“The future developer must go beyond technical proficiency. They need to master prompt engineering, AI/ML model training, cloud-native development, and ethical AI frameworks,” he noted, highlighting tools such as Python, TensorFlow, and GitHub Copilot as crucial for the GenAI era.

🌍 A New Opportunity, Not an End

Anshumaan Prasad of NIIT Digital compared the AI shift to the Y2K moment that propelled Indian IT globally.

“AI isn’t crushing the Indian developer’s dream — it’s redefining it. Developers who blend core coding with AI fluency will not just stay relevant but become indispensable,” Prasad said, urging education providers to revamp curricula with real-world, AI-focused training.

📚 Continuous Learning as the New Currency

For Shefali Sharma Garg, Chief People Officer at Publicis Sapient, the AI era is about reinvention, not replacement.

“Continuous learning is the single most powerful currency today. With AI-powered tools like our Sapient Slingshot, we are embedding agility and innovation into teams,” she said. Garg emphasized building talent with learning agility, curiosity, and resilience over static skills.

🏛️ The Education System Challenge

Madhu Viswanathan, Research Director at ISB Institute of Data Science, cautioned that the shift demands more than training — it requires a mindset overhaul.

“Developers must move from coding what’s given to deciding what’s worth building. AI, cloud, and data should be core, not electives,” he said, pointing to vernacular AI, agri-tech, MSMEs, and health tech as underexplored growth sectors.

⚡ The Road Ahead

With India expected to add nearly 700,000 new AI-related jobs by 2027, experts agree that the developer role is evolving into one of judgment, creativity, and ethical responsibility. TCS layoffs, while unsettling, may serve as a wake-up call for a workforce long seen as the world’s IT backbone.