The biggest concern around artificial intelligence among India's top earners isn’t job loss and it's the fear of losing creativity. A new report by Naukri.com reveals that 40 per cent of professionals earning Rs 15 lakh and above per year believe AI could reduce creativity in their work.

This concern is especially strong in creative industries: 54 per cent of animation and VFX professionals, 43 per cent in film and music, and 41 per cent in advertising and marketing say they worry about the impact of AI on originality.

The report, titled AI: Friend, Foe or Frenemy, is based on insights from over 60,000 jobseekers, recruiter surveys, and job listings on Naukri’s platform.

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Between April and June 2025, over 35,000 AI and machine learning jobs were posted on Naukri.com , a 38 per cent jump from last year. In contrast, non-AI tech jobs grew by just 8 per cent during the same period.

“AI-linked roles are growing faster, salaries are higher and demand is rising across industries and not just in IT. Freshers remain anxious, but AI job growth for entry-level roles is up 34 per cent, while senior professionals are seeing the biggest salary premiums. The gap is clear: those with AI skills are moving ahead faster than those in traditional tech roles,” said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com.

While the IT sector still leads in AI job postings (53 per cent), hiring in banking rose 48 per cent, BPO and IT-enabled services went up 39 per cent, and accounting and KPO roles increased between 49 to 56 per cent.

Interestingly, AI hiring is no longer limited to big cities. Indore, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Ahmedabad together posted more than 1,500 AI jobs, suggesting that opportunities are spreading beyond metros.

The salary benefits for those with AI skills are significant. According to the report, median salaries for AI roles are 53 per cent higher than for traditional tech jobs. Freshers with AI knowledge earn up to 56 per cent more, while those with 13 to 16 years of experience earn 32 per cent more when they bring AI skills to the table.

Roles like machine learning engineer, data scientist, and search engineer are in high demand, while traditional tech roles like front-end developers and system administrators are seeing a drop in hiring.

While the spotlight is given to AI, expectations from enterprises are changing. More than 36 percent jobseekers want to have free AI training courses, and about an equal number of professionals prefer hands-on AI projects as against theoretical ones.

Upskilling is being prioritised amongst FMCG, hospitality, retail, education, and BPO sectors while professionals are gearing up for a tech-driven future.

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In contrast to fears in the US and other countries, the mood in India is upbeat. Over 86 per cent of Indian jobseekers said they see AI as a friend, not a threat to their careers.

Compare that to a Gallup survey from the US, where 75 per cent of professionals believe AI could reduce job opportunities over the next decade. In India, however, even sectors like BPO where automation worries run high show optimism, although 44 per cent of BPO professionals still fear AI-related job loss.

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Globally, the debate over AI and employment continues. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that up to 50 per cent of white-collar entry-level jobs could disappear by 2030. But Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes jobs will evolve rather than vanish. 

“Agree with lots of what Jensen has been saying about ai and jobs; there is a ton of stuff to do in the world,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X on July 16, backing Huang’s view.

agree with lots of what jensen has been saying about ai and jobs; there is a ton of stuff to do in the world.

people will

1) do a lot more than they could do before; ability and expectation will both go up
2) still care very much about other people and what they do
3) still be…

— Sam Altman (@sama) July 16, 2025