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🤖 AI Is Creating New Jobs, Not Just Taking Old Ones: Insights from Automation Anywhere’s Ankur Kothari
As artificial intelligence and automation continue reshaping workplaces, the prevailing fear is that machines will replace human labor. But Automation Anywhere’s Co-Founder and COO, Ankur Kothari, brings a refreshing perspective: AI isn’t just taking jobs—it’s creating new ones, elevating work, and enabling uniquely human value.
1. From Repetitive Tasks to Human-Centered Work
Kothari explains that the shift from Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to Agentic Process Automation (APA) is where the real transformation lies. RPA handled repetitive, rule-based tasks; APA adds AI-powered decision-making, adaptability, and autonomy. It can handle up to 80% of work processes—versus the 20–30% RPA managed—freeing humans to engage in creative, strategic, and empathetic work investopedia.com+11entrepreneur.com+11analyticsindiamag.com+11madrastribune.com.
The result? Employees are no longer chained to monotonous tasks—they're contributing to innovation, relationship-building, and problem-solving.
2. A Surge in “Bot-Centric” Roles
Automation Anywhere has seen real growth in new job roles that didn’t exist a decade ago:
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Bot Solution Architects
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Process Analysts
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Control Room Administrators
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RPA Program & CoE Managers
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Executive Sponsors & Business Leads
These positions involve designing, overseeing, and optimizing AI agents at scale—creating a whole new career ecosystem forbesindia.com.
And companies are paying well: mid- to senior-level automation engineers often earn 30–40% more than traditional software engineers forbesindia.com+1yourstory.com+1.
3. Investing in People: Training and Upskilling
To bridge the talent gap, Automation Anywhere launched its own Automation Anywhere University, reskilling over 100,000 people worldwide across 20+ courses madrastribune.com+11forbesindia.com+11inc42.com+11.
In India alone, nearly 50% of its workforce is based in Bengaluru, and the company amplified its investment—committing $100 million over 3–5 years to R&D, training, and local capacity building inc42.com.
This strategic push signals a major bet on upskilling and workforce transformation.
4. Real Impact on Indian Industry
At Automation Anywhere’s recent Imagine summit in Bengaluru, Kothari noted:
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100% quarter-over-quarter growth in AI agent deployments in India
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70% of local clients are already using combined AI + automation in areas like BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing indiatoday.in+11entrepreneur.com+11analyticsindiamag.com+11.
This demonstrates a clear shift: India is not just adopting AI; it’s building the talent, infrastructure, and innovation landscape around intelligent automation.
5. AI as Augmentation, Not Replacement
Kothari emphasizes a critical mindset: AI should augment human capability, not replace it. His mantra?
“It’s about embracing a mental shift, not just learning new skills.”
Junior-level workers, freed from repetitive tasks, are now being upskilled through the same platforms that automate their jobs—creating opportunities for higher-value roles inc42.com+13madrastribune.com+13analyticsindiamag.com+13inc42.com+4analyticsindiamag.com+4cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com+4.
Research confirms this: companies embracing “augmented workplaces” report 38% higher engagement, 28% better performance, and 80% of employees saying automation frees them from the mundane and lets them focus on strategic work analyticsindiamag.com.
🎯 Final Take
Ankur Kothari’s message is clear: AI is not a job destroyer—it’s a job creator. The transition to agentic AI is spawning entirely new roles with better pay, fueling demand for skilled professionals like bot architects and program managers. At the same time, companies are investing heavily in training to build the workforce of tomorrow.
The narrative around AI in the workplace should not be fear—it should be opportunity. In workplaces where automation is designed to augment rather than replace, humans win.
