Exclusive: AI to trim routine jobs, create new roles: Info Edge CEO Hitesh Oberoi sees shift to automation-led hiring

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes industries, its implications for jobs and businesses remain among the most debated questions. For Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and CEO of Info Edge (India), the answer is far from binary. According to him, AI is both a disruptor and an enabler - one that could simultaneously eliminate roles and create entirely new categories of work.

“Every new technology is disruptive - it creates opportunity if you adapt, and risk if you don’t,” Oberoi said in an exclusive interview with Fortune India.

In the near term, he believes AI is likely to impact routine, repetitive jobs the most. Roles involving standardised processes - particularly in customer support, data processing, and entry-level operations - are increasingly being automated. “If people become more productive, you need fewer people to do the same work,” he explains.

However, this is only one side of the story. Historically, every major technological shift, from the internet to smartphones, has led to the creation of new industries and jobs. Oberoi expects AI to follow a similar trajectory. “There will be job losses in pockets, but there will also be new jobs created in areas we can’t fully anticipate today,” he says.

Info Edge pivots to AI-led transformation

As AI rewrites the rules of the internet, Info Edge (India) - which operates flagship platforms like Naukri.com, Jeevansathi.com, 99acres.com, and Shiksha.com - is doubling down on AI to transform both its user experience and core business model. The company is effectively reinventing itself, pivoting toward AI-led automation, productivity tools, and data-driven decision-making across its platforms.

The Noida-based new-age company has rolled out an AI-powered resume builder for its job portal platform, replacing what was once a human-led service. “We earlier had people writing resumes for users. Now, we have an AI layer doing much of that work,” Oberoi explains. The platform has also introduced AI-driven mock interview tools, allowing candidates to prepare in simulated environments, highlighting the growing convergence of hiring and skilling.

“We have always invested ahead of the curve when it comes to new technologies,” Oberoi says.

The company has scaled up its investments in AI, not just in talent but also in compute infrastructure, including GPUs and advanced servers. While Info Edge has been using machine learning for nearly a decade, powering search, recommendations, and personalisation, its AI push has accelerated sharply in recent years.

The most transformative shift, however, is taking place on the recruiter side. Info Edge is building agent-led hiring solutions designed to automate large parts of the recruitment funnel. Traditionally, recruiters manually searched databases, shortlisted candidates, and conducted initial screenings - a process that could take days.

“Now, an AI agent can do a lot of this,” Oberoi says. “Shortlisting and initial screening can be automated, freeing up recruiters to focus on higher-value tasks.”

By leveraging its vast data pools, the company is also developing enterprise tools that provide deeper workforce insights. These include talent analytics, salary benchmarking, and competitive intelligence solutions powered by machine learning models.

“We are using data and AI to help firms understand where talent is, how salaries are moving, and what their competition is doing,” Oberoi adds.

Three-pronged AI strategy

Oberoi added that Info Edge’s AI strategy rests on three pillars: strengthening backend systems, launching new user-facing features, and improving monetisation through smarter tools. At the same time, the company is encouraging teams across functions - from engineering to marketing - to integrate AI tools into their workflows to boost productivity and accelerate speed to market.

Behind the scenes, AI is increasingly embedded in core business functions. Pricing engines, discounting strategies, customer targeting, and matching algorithms are all driven by machine learning systems that have grown more sophisticated over time. “Our matching engines, search engines, and pricing systems are all powered by machine learning,” he notes.