AI May Eliminate Jobs by 2050, Says Indian-American VC Vinod Khosla

Indian-American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla predicts that Artificial Intelligence could make traditional jobs obsolete by 2050, with dramatic changes becoming clear by 2025. He warns that the IT services and BPO sectors in India could "almost completely disappear" within the next five years, potentially vanishing by 2030. Khosla advocates for nations to develop their own sovereign AI models for sensitive areas like cybersecurity and defense. Despite the disruptive warnings, he praised India's AI efforts and highlighted the massive turnout at the India AI Impact Summit.

Key Points: AI Could Make Jobs Obsolete by 2050: Vinod Khosla

  • AI may render traditional jobs unnecessary by 2050
  • IT and BPO sectors could "almost completely disappear" by 2030
  • Countries should develop sovereign AI for security
  • Long corporate tenures reduce adaptability in tech shifts
  • India's AI summit sees massive participation
2 min read

AI could make traditional jobs obsolete by 2050: India-origin entrepreneur

Indian-American investor Vinod Khosla predicts AI could eliminate white-collar jobs and disrupt India's IT/BPO sector by 2030, urging sovereign AI development.

"Artificial intelligence could eliminate large parts of white-collar employment. - Vinod Khosla"

New Delhi, Feb 17

Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla on Tuesday made a bold prediction that by 2050, people may not even need jobs as Artificial Intelligence continues to advance rapidly across sectors.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 here, Khosla said the future of jobs will become much clearer in the coming decades as AI systems grow more powerful and capable.

He asserted that by 2025, it will be evident that traditional employment structures are changing dramatically.

"Artificial intelligence could eliminate large parts of white-collar employment," the Silicon Valley investor, who has been vocal about AI's disruptive potential, said.

He warned that IT services and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms could "almost completely disappear" within the next five years.

Reiterating his view at the summit, Khosla said the outsourcing industry could be gone by 2030.

"Many people in India still do not believe that AI will significantly impact the IT sector," Khosla mentioned.

However, he argued that rapid technological advances will fundamentally disrupt industries that have long driven India's economic growth.

Khosla also criticised long tenures at large corporations, saying that working 15 to 20 years at a single big company could reduce adaptability in a fast-changing technology environment.

He said such professionals risk becoming less flexible as industries evolve.

Despite his warnings, Khosla praised India's efforts in artificial intelligence. "The summit is highly successful and the large participation, more than 3 lakh people had registered for the event," he described.

He expressed strong support for the idea of sovereign AI models designed to serve national interests.

"Countries should develop their own AI systems, especially for sensitive areas like cyber security and defence, rather than depend on foreign models," Khosla explained.

He pointed out that he had invested in Sarvam to support India's AI ambitions.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
While the warning is important, I think he's being overly pessimistic about the timeline. The BPO and IT services industry employs millions. It won't just "disappear" in 5 years. Change will be gradual, and new job categories will emerge. We need a balanced view.
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Rohit P
His point about sovereign AI is spot on! We cannot depend on OpenAI or Google for everything, especially for defence and security. Glad he's investing in Indian startups like Sarvam. Jai Hind! 💪
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Sarah B
Interesting perspective. In the West, we're having similar conversations. But the scale of potential disruption in India is staggering given the population dependent on IT/BPO. The focus on adaptability over long tenures is a crucial lesson for everyone.
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Karthik V
What about the millions of young people joining the workforce every year? If traditional jobs vanish, what will they do? We need a national conversation on Universal Basic Income and a post-job economy. This is bigger than just tech.
M
Meera T
Respectfully, I think Khosla sir is missing the Indian context of jugaad and adaptability. Our IT sector has survived multiple tech shifts. Yes, AI is a challenge, but to say it will be gone by 2030 feels like a Silicon Valley bubble prediction. We will evolve, as we always do.
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