Bengaluru, Feb 17: Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of Infosys, said on Tuesday that artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally change how software is built and deployed, adding that writing code will no longer be the primary job for technology professionals.
AI transition demands root-and-branch change
Addressing the Infosys’ Investor Day, Nilekani described the AI transition as a “root-and-branch” change that requires firms to rethink customer journeys, business processes and organisational structures rather than merely adding a new layer of technology.
“Talent will have to deal with the world where writing code will not be the goal, it will be actually making AI work,” he said, adding that it will change the nature of jobs and operating model.
Nilekani said enterprises will require new skills in AI engineering, agent orchestration and managing non-deterministic systems, where one prompt should generate different outcomes each time.
Legacy systems may slow AI adoption
He warned that companies will be pressed to deal with long-deferred issues such as legacy systems and technical debt, which limit their ability to adopt AI effectively.
“The technology is far ahead of its deployment. Model performance is going up, but progress in implementing is not really there because implementing this is hard stuff. Fundamentally, it’s about organisational change, business change, retraining your people, changing your data so it’s no longer in silos,” Nilekani added.
Market jitters over AI-led disruption
The comments assume significance as the technology sector saw heightened panic selling in the previous week, sending the Nifty IT index down 5.51 per cent in just one day. Investors were spooked over AI-led disruption that could replace traditional services that generate large revenue streams for Indian IT firms.
The launch earlier this month by US-based AI company Anthropic of “Claude Cowork,” an AI assistant with a new automation layer, has created fear among traditional IT services firms.
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International broker Jefferies described the product launch and resultant meltdown in NASDAQ as “SaaSpocalypse”. Some strategists warned of potential revenue deflation of up to 40 per cent if agentic AI displaces traditional services already facing margin pressure.
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