Nasscom warns of decline in deep engineering skills as AI takes over routine work

📌 Summary:

• IT industry body Nasscom warned India risks building a technology workforce that is merely "AI-reliant" rather than truly "AI-native" if industry and academia fail to preserve deep engineering expertise
• Over 90% of India's early-career tech professionals already use AI tools
• The decline of routine coding work must not translate into a drop in fundamental technical skills
• Risk (causal chain): over-dependence on AI for routine tasks → erosion of first-principles problem-solving and core engineering ability → a workforce that consumes AI but cannot build or improve it
• Solution: industry and academia must jointly protect and cultivate deep engineering competencies and higher-order skills

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Science & Tech / Economy — AI's impact on jobs and skills, the future of India's IT workforce, and education-industry linkages

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Nasscom = National Association of Software and Service Companies (apex IT industry body)
• Over 90% of early-career Indian tech professionals are adopting AI
• Key distinction: "AI-reliant" vs "AI-native" workforce

🔑 Key Term: AI-native workforce — professionals who understand and build AI systems from fundamentals, not merely consume AI tools.