I spoke to students at IIM Udaipur in its Industry Captain Series, then as CTO of OptCulture, about what AI means for the careers they are about to start. The short version: entry-level “doer” jobs are shrinking, and the edge goes to people who move up to reviewer and then partner faster than the people around them.
From doer to reviewer to partner
Generative AI turned capabilities that once needed a data science team into plug-and-play APIs, available to everyone much like electricity. That makes repetitive, task-oriented work easy to automate. What stays valuable is reviewing, validating and refining what AI produces, and then working as a strategic partner who decides what it should be used for. AI is not magic, and it is not a replacement for thinking.
I suggested a simple daily loop for working with AI: ask a sharp question (bad inputs give bad outputs), assess the answer critically rather than trusting something that only looks right, and act on it by applying, refining or discarding it. You stay accountable for the result.
Two frameworks
For spotting where AI agents fit, the 4C framework: look for work with clear goals, codifiable rules, a continuous stream of input, and a high cost in human time.
For deciding whether an AI feature belongs in a product, VISTA: does it add value the user can measure, does it fit the existing workflow, will it scale, can people trust it (and can “almost right” work), and does it give the product an advantage? I also urged starting simple, with AI working behind the scenes or as a copilot, and scaling up to agents only when trust and return on investment justify it.
New roles and the skills that last
The roles I expect to grow are AI business strategists, AI product managers, AI engineers, AI risk and safety specialists, and managers who oversee swarms of agents. The skills that keep anyone relevant are prompting and critical review, deep domain expertise, structured strategic thinking, clear communication, and judgment and taste. If you only outsource your work to AI without adding anything, you will be replaced by it.
I closed with: be the professional who directs AI, adds insight and creates lasting value.
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