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Anupam Mittal warns against deep-tech push, urges AI skilling for real jobs
In a LinkedIn post on Saturday, Mittal shared concerns about a misplaced focus on high-end AI while millions remain under-skilled or excluded.
'Maybe she should learn Python': Blinkit photo triggers post
Sharing a picture of an elderly woman wearing a Blinkit jacket, Mittal remarked, 'Saw this woman the other day, and thought maybe she should learn Python. Perhaps she can fine-tune an LLM too, while delivering your groceries.'
'Every time I say India needs jobs along with deep-tech, someone sends me a whitepaper on AI skilling. Basically parroting the West without understanding our own reality,' he added.
'AI-driven automation is real, but so is our employment gap'
'Those economies have low populations, high formal employment, and deep reskilling budgets,' he noted.
India lacks strong skilling systems: Mittal
Mittal contrasted this with his experience in the United States. 'When I worked in the US, every time a new tech or software rolled out, we were upskilled in real time not just as individuals, but across the entire organisation,' he said.
'India is not there yet given that most are self-employed,' he added.
Gig economy has enabled millions—but remains fragile
Calling the gig economy a blessing, Mittal said it has enabled employment for millions. Achieving this in a country holding around 20 per cent of the world's population is no mean feat, he said.
Mittal warned that pushing deep-tech as a one-size-fits-all solution will endanger billions of livelihoods. He urged the nation to address employment issues before diving headfirst into deep-tech.
"When we start touting deep-tech as the only solution to all our problems, we endanger the livelihoods of a billion plus nation," he said.
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