No job loss at Info Edge due to AI; new technology leads to productivity gains: Sanjeev Bikhchandani

Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani today said new technologies are associated with fear of job losses but very often they lead to productivity gains

During a session on The Future of Employability In The Age Of AI, at AI Impact Summit 2026, Bikhchandani said no one has lost jobs at naukri.com due to artificial intelligence (AI), but the company has started serving the unserved consumers better using AI interventions.

“When a new technology comes in, there is almost always a great fear of job loss. But very often productivity goes up. And the same number of people do more things; they do different things and more useful things. Can it be different this time? It’s possible. But will it necessarily be different? Then the answer is not necessarily,” Bikhchandani said.

“People might learn to do different things, stuff that is not getting done might get done. Thus far no one has lost jobs in our company due to AI. I do not know what will happen going forward.  Right now it is being used to enhance productivity,” he added.

Bikhchandani recounted how in 1985, there was a backlash to the government's announcement to introduce computers in banks. “I was 22 years old then. (The then Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi announced the introduction of computers in the banks. All India Bank Employees Association was a powerful association, and it got worried. But the government went ahead regardless of the concerns. So, the computers were bought and put into the banks,” he said. 

“Slowly, they began to be used. People became more productive. They served customers better,” he said.  

Info Edge deploying AI to serve the underserved customers: Bikhchandani

Bikhchandani said Info Edge is deploying AI bots to serve the underserved customers better.

“At Naukri, we have got about 1.3 lakh clients. We have a sales effort. The top 20% of the clients get a field sales force calling on them. Because they are more valuable and we can afford a field sales force for them. The next 30% of clients get telesales. For the bottom 50% of the clients who really do not pay that much, it does not make financial sense to have a person calling on them. So we have put a voice bot for automated calling,” he said.

“It is so advanced that you cannot make out that it is not a human being. Now what has started happening is that the stuff that we were not getting done – serving an underserved market – is being done using AI,” he added.