A TNIE reader Preet Pratyush Mishra, asks: How could Artificial Intelligence reshape traditional Indian career paths such as engineering?
Ramarao Kanneganti, founder of Aganitha AI Inc, says engineering education has evolved in phases over the decades. Traditional branches such as civil, mechanical and electrical engineering dominated much of the 20th century before newer disciplines like electronics, material science and computer science emerged.
Computer science itself became mainstream only in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while data science and machine learning gained prominence much later, around the early 2010s. Over time, students gravitated towards newer disciplines because they promised better salaries and stronger career prospects, with software jobs increasingly viewed as the safest route to financial success.
Artificial Intelligence is now beginning to disrupt that pattern. The software industry, particularly routine programming work, is undergoing a major transformation. Earlier, companies required large teams of programmers to build applications. Today, a small number of highly skilled developers using AI tools can achieve similar results in a fraction of the time.
AI is rapidly reducing software development costs and placing repetitive coding roles under pressure. In the future, computer science careers will increasingly favour those who can think critically, design systems, solve end-to-end problems and effectively use AI tools rather than simply write code.
Many companies are already moving away from traditional coding tests during recruitment and instead focusing on problem-solving ability, critical thinking and the capacity to evaluate AI-generated outputs. While highly skilled engineers may become even more valuable, the middle layer of average programming jobs could shrink considerably.
This trend is especially significant for India, where a large portion of the IT industry depends on outsourcing software services to global markets. If companies abroad replace large teams with AI systems, the demand for mass software manpower could decline sharply.
Traditional engineering disciplines, however, may experience AI differently. In sectors such as civil, mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering, AI is more likely to function as a productivity-enhancing tool than as a complete replacement because these fields involve physical systems, manufacturing, infrastructure and real-world coordination that cannot be fully automated.
AI could improve construction planning, optimise manufacturing processes and help monitor infrastructure projects, but engineers would still be required to build, supervise and execute such systems.
India’s future growth may depend more on sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, energy systems and industrial production rather than software outsourcing alone. The country still has enormous untapped domestic demand in areas such as urban infrastructure, transportation, energy distribution and agriculture, where AI could accelerate development instead of replacing workers outright.
Students should also avoid choosing careers purely based on salary trends. While those genuinely interested in computer science, problem-solving and system design could still build successful careers in AI-driven industries, relying only on routine programming skills may become increasingly difficult in the future.
At the same time, traditional engineering disciplines could regain importance as India focuses on strengthening domestic industries and building physical infrastructure. Another major opportunity lies in product development. India’s software sector became heavily dependent on outsourcing services instead of creating globally competitive products, and AI may now force companies to rethink that model.
AI is similar to the discovery of steam power or electricity. The technology itself is only a tool. What matters is how societies choose to use it. If India applies AI beyond low-cost outsourcing — particularly in manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and energy — it could significantly transform the country’s economy.
We are already seeing early signs of this shift across sectors such as healthcare diagnostics, biotechnology, education, construction management and industrial systems, where AI’s influence is expanding far beyond software coding alone.