It has been noticed that for ages together, new technological and infrastructure developments, even inventions that were endeavoured to simplify chores and make life more meaningful and qualitative, have been looked with a fearful dread, a suspicion that the cons could perhaps outweigh the positives.

There has always been a fear that gadgets could be misused when in the hands of criminal-minded individuals. In recent times, it has been this very troubled mentality that greeted the advent of computers, mobiles phones and other high-tech modes of communication. Even robots drew flak as there was a fear that these could gradually cut into employment opportunities.

One must remember that post-industrial revolution, contrary to apprehensions, job avenues opened up multi-fold across organised and un-organised sectors for both skilled and unskilled aspirants. However, the biggest threat as perceived by a majority of people comes from the gradual pace with which Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being promoted and patronised.

Even as millions of researchers and designers are looking into the pros and cons of AI usage, the fact remains that it has changed our lives and how we foresee the future, especially when caught in the ruthless world of intense competition for a pie in the sweepstakes.

Quite ironically, although AI is being gradually adopted by all and sundry, its capabilities and resourcefulness have divided world opinion; those backing AI adoption find themselves outnumbered by the naysayers and prophets of doom, including computer scientists, engineers, experts from the software sector, manufacturers and who have you.

The biggest worry is that these could reduce manual labour over a period of time. Automation in any form is dreaded by this lot despite the fact that the influence of AI has been dictating our everyday lives for quite a while now. They are not a scourge but a boon to mankind, including in medicare and rehabilitation. They are adding value to our lives. Moreover, large language models (LLMs) are transforming the way we interact with technologies.

In hindsight, there could be a scope for bias and misuse if the creators and designers do not provide representative data and shy away from treating all users on a similar footing. Ethical concerns as regards AI usage to manipulate decision-making with its ability to churn out convincing narratives are another concern.

Even as the world stands divided on adoption of AI, a shot in the form has come from no less an authority than industrialist Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, who is fully in favour of AI, which, he maintains, is not a threat but a catalyst that will elevate practical skills into premium assets, offering income, dignity and transforming factory work into long-term relevance and a lucrative gold-collar profession.

His “when technology amplifies skilled hands, those hands can become as rewarding, if not more rewarding, than traditional white-collar work; AI can turn blue collar into gold,” must have come as music to the ears of his employees, many of whom were living in fear that they could be replaced by machines in course of time. This pessimism runs in employees of every company.

By emphasising that AI is an accelerator and not a threat, he has put things in their right perspective, especially by underlining that “AI will bring about a fundamental shift in the value of ‘hands-on’ skills.” He is bang on as the world will rediscover the value of people who can build, craft, repair, and operate the real machinery of life. India’s young talent, armed with the right education, will excel in the AI era. And that is the bottom line.