Will AI finish white-collar jobs? Zoho's Sridhar Vembu shares how he is thinking

Sridhar Vembu, founder and chief scientist at Zoho, on Monday said he is still in the early stages of understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect companies and employment.

Reacting to a post by London School of Economics professor Luis Garicano, who argued that many professional jobs cannot be fully automated because they involve complex human judgement, Vembu said fast-changing technology requires caution before forming conclusions. "The quoted post makes a strong argument that white-collar jobs won't go away anytime soon due to AI. In rapidly changing times like this, here is a framework I use:"

He said the first step is to stay receptive to competing arguments and not rush to certainty. "Keep an open mind and absorb every kind of information (like the quoted post and the ones that argue the opposite too)," the tech veteran said.

From there, he suggested forming provisional views but being prepared to revise them quickly as evidence evolves. "Form some opinions but hold them loosely, subject to revision. Be ready to make U-turns quickly during this phase. Over time, the opinions should solidify into convictions, but never force them. You cannot 'buy' a conviction, it has to come from within."

He, however, cautioned against allowing confidence to harden into rigidity. "Don't let your ego mix up with your conviction. That is when it becomes dogma. When you have strong convictions, act on them. Conviction without action is useless. Action without conviction is pointless."

Vembu added that his own thinking about artificial intelligence and employment remains preliminary. "I am in stage 1 and 2 on how AI will impact our company and jobs," he added.

Garicano's post, which prompted the response, argued that automation of individual tasks does not equal automation of entire professions. "I believe AI is a huge deal, and will radically change the world. But many white collar jobs are Messy jobs, as our book will explain: automating the automatable tasks within them is not near to automating the job."

He cited housing construction in London as an example, saying technology alone cannot resolve regulatory and social disputes. "Does anyone think AI will fix this?" he asked.

The professor said that artificial intelligence can assist documentation but cannot persuade stakeholders. "AI can draft the review, but that is a trivial bit. It cannot convince the environmental group to drop its lawsuit or persuade politicians or negotiate with the neighbors."

Garicano pointed to healthcare roles as well, saying radiologists spend only 1/3 of their time reading scans. Their job was supposed to be gone in 2017; in fact, the demand for radiologists is booming, he said. He added that organisations depend on authority and accountability that software cannot replicate.
"No algorithm does that."