Artificial intelligence is no longer a technology of the future but a reality that demands immediate action, Andhra Pradesh’s Education and IT minister Nara Lokesh has said.
Speaking as the chief guest at a conference on “Artificial Intelligence – Future of Jobs: Turning Disruption into Opportunity” during the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Lokesh said AI would create unprecedented employment opportunities while also transforming the nature of work itself.
“AI is expected to generate 9.7 crore new jobs worldwide by 2025,” Lokesh stated, dismissing fears about job displacement. “History shows us that every industrial revolution has created more jobs than it displaced job-holders, and AI is no exception.”
The minister outlined a comprehensive three-part strategy to prepare Andhra Pradesh’s workforce for the AI era, namelu reskill, redefine and reimagine.
Under the Reskill initiative, the state government has launched the Naipunyam platform, which uses conversational AI to evaluate competencies across diverse professions, from traditional trades like carpentry and AC repair to emerging fields like AI engineering. The platform offers blended online and offline learning to ensure workers remain adaptable and future-ready.
“The era of learning once and working for life is gone. Long-term learning is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity,” Lokesh stated, adding that the state’s Future Skills Project already focussed on AI ethics, data storytelling, robotic process automation, and sustainable technology.
Addressing the Redefine pillar, the minister stressed that AI cannot replace authentic human creativity and judgment. He cited a recent university visit where students were using ChatGPT for routine work.
“It’s convenient, but we cannot outsource imagination. As AI accelerates, the human edge will increasingly lie in originality, intuition and judgment,” he said.
The third pillar, Reimagine, focuses on ensuring AI becomes an equalizer rather than a divider. Lokesh emphasized that 65 per cent of India’s population was under 35 years old, a demographic dividend that must be channeled through digital literacy, vocational training and entrepreneurial support.
During the event, minister Lokesh released the report ‘Is India Ready for Authentic AI. A memorandum of understanding was signed between CII and Bharat Biotech International MD and CII vice president Suchitra K Ella for providing job skill training, career counseling, and employment opportunities for 30,000 youth in Vijayawada over the next five years.