IIT Madras paper: AI will change entry-level jobs first, not wipe them out
By TUF News Desk · Published 27 October 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
The first job after graduation may look different within a few years, and not because whole professions vanish overnight. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras argue the change will arrive task by task, starting with the routine work that junior employees usually do first.
The argument comes in a white paper titled How AI Is Reconfiguring Work in India, from the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at IIT Madras, which works within the institute’s Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. The paper was released at a recent CeRAI event in Chennai.
Judge the task, not the job title
The paper’s main point is a shift in how to measure AI’s effect on work. Counting whole jobs as either safe or doomed misses what happens inside a role. Most jobs mix tasks, and only some of those tasks can be done by AI today.
That distinction matters for students choosing a first job. A role can survive while its daily work changes a lot.
Prof Balaraman Ravindran, who heads CeRAI and the Wadhwani School, put it plainly at the release: “This paper challenges the idea that AI always takes away jobs. Most jobs have tasks and only some of those can be undertaken by AI.” Gokul S Krishnan, research director at CeRAI, added that a task moving to AI does not automatically mean the job attached to it disappears. Whether it does depends on cost, capability, regulation, safety and how employers reorganise the work.
Where junior roles face the most change
The paper names four sectors where entry-level work often runs on repetitive, process-driven tasks: information technology, business process outsourcing, finance and professional services. Those are also sectors where many graduates look for a first job.
The concern is less about a single round of layoffs and more about how people learn a profession. Junior roles have long worked as a form of apprenticeship: the individual tasks are low value on their own, the paper says, but together they teach the judgement a worker needs later in a senior role.
“Junior roles have historically functioned as an apprenticeship: repetitive, process-oriented tasks are individually low-value but that collectively teach the judgement a worker later needs in a senior role,” the paper said. If AI takes over those tasks, companies will need to rethink how they train junior staff.
The paper maps seven ways AI can change work, from cost-driven automation to work that still needs human judgement, regulatory accountability or abilities AI does not yet have.
What this means for students now
For students, the practical reading is straightforward. A career built only on routine work is the most exposed kind. The parts of a job that survive in the paper’s account are the parts hardest to hand to a system: deciding when a standard answer does not fit, handling a case that breaks the pattern, and taking responsibility for the outcome.
That also changes what to look for in a first employer. A company that treats junior staff as people who only clear routine tickets offers thinner training than one that gives new joiners decisions to make. Students weighing options can use our guide to choosing a university in India for the programme choice that comes first, and apply the same test later to an employer.
None of this means students should avoid technology-heavy sectors. Learning to use AI tools well helps, but the paper suggests the longer-lasting edge is knowing when to trust the output, when to question it, and when to own the call. More about the institute’s research is published on the official IIT Madras website.
Frequently asked questions
What does the IIT Madras white paper say about AI and entry-level jobs?
It says AI is likely to reshape entry-level jobs by automating routine tasks, even where whole roles are not eliminated, and that the effect should be judged task by task rather than job by job.
Which sectors does the paper flag as most exposed?
Information technology, business process outsourcing, finance and professional services, where junior roles often involve repetitive, process-driven work.
Does the paper say AI will eliminate junior roles?
No. It draws a line between automating tasks and eliminating jobs, and says workers may still handle decisions, unusual cases and accountability for outcomes.
What should students take from the paper?
Routine work alone is a weak foundation for a career. The paper points to judgement, handling unusual situations and taking responsibility as the parts of a job that are harder to automate.
Frequently asked questions
What does the IIT Madras white paper say about AI and entry-level jobs?
It says AI is likely to reshape entry-level jobs by automating routine tasks, even where whole roles are not eliminated, and that the effect should be judged task by task rather than job by job.
Which sectors does the paper flag as most exposed?
Information technology, business process outsourcing, finance and professional services, where junior roles often involve repetitive, process-driven work.
Does the paper say AI will eliminate junior roles?
No. It draws a line between automating tasks and eliminating jobs, and says workers may still handle decisions, unusual cases and accountability for outcomes.
What should students take from the paper?
Routine work alone is a weak foundation for a career. The paper points to judgement, handling unusual situations and taking responsibility as the parts of a job that are harder to automate.
Sources: The Hindu BusinessLine, DT Next, The Economic Times