Manyika, while speaking to CNBC-TV18 on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, said India has an opportunity to lead by expanding the use of AI across sectors and investing in the foundations needed for growth.
Addressing concerns about employment during a summit discussion, Manyika said the effects of AI should be understood at the level of tasks rather than entire professions. Most jobs, he noted, consist of multiple tasks that will be affected differently by automation and augmentation.
“Some occupations will decline, many will grow, and many more will actually change,” he said, adding that economies will experience “a lot of transitions” as AI reshapes work across industries.
He said governments will need to actively manage this transition, particularly in countries with large workforces such as India. A key priority, he said, is workforce preparation through education and training.
Manyika called for a strong focus on skilling and literacy, noting that workers moving out of declining roles and into expanding ones will need new capabilities because “the skills required change.” He said this applies both to people entering the workforce and those already employed whose roles will evolve.
Manyika also stressed the importance of sustained public investment to support job creation. He said investments in digital and physical infrastructure, as well as in research and innovation, are critical because new businesses and industries emerge from those investments.
As companies grow and new sectors develop, employment opportunities expand. Such investments, he said, will help countries ensure that AI adoption leads to economic growth rather than displacement alone.
He added that India’s scale and diversity make it a significant test case for how AI can be deployed at population level. If governments focus on skills, infrastructure and innovation while encouraging adoption across sectors, he said, countries can navigate the transition in employment and create new sources of growth.
Manyika said the current phase of AI development will require coordinated action by governments, industry and educational institutions to ensure that technological change translates into broad-based economic opportunity.
