AI disruption: A large majority of young professionals fear AI disruption, according to a survey

Three out of four professionals have said that interruptions in technologyparticularly with artificial intelligence, are impacting their work. In parallel, AI and machine learning (AI/ML) have emerged as the most sought-after skills for Improving skills in fiscal year 25, according to survey data from training platform Great Learning, which was accessed exclusively by ET.

According to Hari Krishnan Nair, co-founder of Great Learning, lack of employment and insecurity are major concerns. “Many of these respondents are already seeing AI taking over jobs, maybe not their specific job, but they fear that if they don’t get trained in AI, they are likely to lose their jobs in their organization,” Nair said.

Nair noted that IT services, consulting firms and global capability centers (GCCs) can see significant advancements in a short period of time by adopting more cutting-edge AI. Additionally, some clients may be demanding fewer FTEs (full-time equivalents) per project, due to the productivity and efficiency gains resulting from AI.

In terms of training, while companies previously focused their generative AI training only on technical teams, by fiscal 2025 they want to expand it to functions such as operations, customer service, human resources, finance, marketing and more, Nair added.

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and will soon be a tool that everyone is expected to know how to use. However, the deeper skill set that needs to be developed is in AI and machine learning, which is much more difficult and takes much longer to learn, he said.

Source: Upskilling Trends Report 2024-25 and data from Great Learning platform.