AI disruption in software isn’t sudden, says former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka

In recent years, the fast-paced adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has started creating anxiety across sectors. Referring to the ongoing scares in the software and IT sector, Vishal Sikka, former Infosys CEO and Founder of AI startup Vianai Systems, states that the AI disruption is not sudden in software, but has been in the making for years.

Referring to the current AI buzz, Sikka in an X (formerly Twitter) said, “I have been in these two industries for 28+ years, and in AI since I was a student — so 'sudden' makes me smile.” Acknowledging the creative disruption, he emphasised that instead of focusing on speed, the real focus should be onhow unevenly AI is reshaping work.

Sikka said, “AI empowers some people and transforms some domains far more than others,” highlighting Melanie Mitchell's statement on AI as a “jagged frontier.” That points to AI capabilities in accelerating routine and well-defined tasks, but it may struggle to automate contextual reasoning tasks.

He further argues that AI tools are reducing the technical knowledge, since less-experienced employees can now handle many technical or routine tasks. In addition, tasks that require human judgment remain the same.

“This helps them do in real-time what they did before in slow, costly, complex ways, but go far beyond that and do things that simply couldn't be done before. And in the process, save massively in the clean up of legacy,” said Sikka.

As the disruption continues, the goal should focus on integrating the technology to refine the workflow, rather than replacing human thinking or originality. AI should enhance creativity, insight, and problem-solving, not replace humans.