As artificial intelligence reshapes the global workforce, Bhattacharya highlights upskilling, empathy, and adaptability as core to future-ready roles.

In a climate where AI adoption is accelerating across industries, concerns around job displacement continue to dominate public discourse. Addressing these anxieties, Salesforce India CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya recently shared a more optimistic perspective, stating that artificial intelligence is more likely to create new jobs than eliminate existing ones.

Speaking at recent industry forums, Bhattacharya acknowledged that while AI will indeed bring structural changes to job roles, it also opens up avenues for reskilling and the emergence of entirely new job categories. “AI brings both pain and promise,” she said, adding that roles requiring creativity, emotional intelligence, and contextual understanding will be in high demand as routine tasks get automated.

New Roles on the Horizon

Bhattacharya emphasized that job displacement fears often stem from a narrow understanding of AI's potential. Instead of merely replacing human tasks, she argued that AI will augment human capabilities, allowing individuals to take on higher-value responsibilities. “Roles such as prompt engineers, AI trainers, ethicists, and AI compliance officers are just the beginning,” she noted.

In the Salesforce ecosystem itself, the emergence of roles related to AI strategy, implementation, and ethics has increased, especially as businesses look to balance automation with governance. According to Bhattacharya, the “AI plus human” model is not a compromise—it’s the future of work.

Human-Centric Skills Take Center Stage

Bhattacharya also pointed to the increasing importance of uniquely human attributes like critical thinking, empathy, and storytelling in the AI age. These traits, she explained, are not only irreplaceable by machines but also essential for designing responsible and inclusive AI systems.

“Empathy is key to leadership in the age of AI,” she said, highlighting how managers and decision-makers must prioritize inclusive growth and ensure that technology adoption doesn’t widen inequality.

The Upskilling Imperative

According to Salesforce’s global research, nearly 60% of Indian workers believe they are unprepared for an AI-first future. Bhattacharya sees this as both a challenge and an opportunity. “We have a large, young workforce that’s hungry to learn. With the right policies and partnerships, we can convert this into a demographic dividend.”

Salesforce has launched multiple initiatives aimed at democratizing AI education and technical skill-building. Programs like Trailhead, the company’s free learning platform, have introduced AI and data science modules to help users across sectors stay relevant.

She called for a collaborative approach between businesses, government bodies, and educational institutions to create scalable reskilling programs. “India cannot afford to be a passive consumer of AI. We need to build and innovate for our own use cases,” she said.

Industry Responsibility and Ethical AI

Beyond skilling, Bhattacharya underscored the importance of building AI systems that are ethical and transparent. As generative models become increasingly powerful, issues around data privacy, bias, and misinformation loom large. “We need guardrails,” she said. “Trust has always been a core value at Salesforce. As we develop AI capabilities, that trust must extend to the way algorithms are built, trained, and deployed.”

The CEO advocated for the inclusion of diverse voices in AI development teams to minimize algorithmic bias and promote fairness. “Diversity isn’t just a metric; it’s essential to building AI that works for everyone,” she concluded.

The Bigger Picture

While automation will continue to redefine workplace dynamics, Bhattacharya believes that the future is not about man vs. machine, but man with machine. Her message to India’s workforce is clear: “Adaptability is your superpower. AI is here to stay, and those who learn to work alongside it will thrive.”

As India navigates the next phase of its digital economy, voices like Bhattacharya’s offer a pragmatic yet hopeful vision—one where technology and humanity co-evolve to create more meaningful, inclusive growth.