AI Will Change Software Industry Forever: Ashwini Vaishnaw As Claude Cowork Hits IT Market

Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday that artificial intelligence (AI) will change the software industry forever. The IT minister made the comment during a press conference on the sidelines of Qualcomm’s high-tech 2-nanometre chip announcement.His comments came at a time when tech stocks in India and the US fell after the launch of Claude Cowork, an AI automation platform from Anthropic built for businesses. The new automation plug-ins from Anthropic allow companies to assign tasks and workflows to AI systems. Investors are worried that AI agents could reduce demand for traditional IT services like coding, outsourcing and enterprise automation.Speaking at the event, Vaishnaw said the software industry is entering

a phase of disruption as well as opportunity. He said that AI agents and automation tools are likely to change how software products and services are built and delivered. He said companies that earlier provided software-based solutions will now have to move toward AI-based solutions for global clients.

"There is a major change which is coming in the entire software industry. I have interacted with practically every IT major, CEOs, even in some cases we have had multiple discussions. This change has two aspects. One is the disruption which is coming, second is the opportunity which is coming. The software industry will change forever. The opportunity which comes out of this is, we as a country which has a strong industry is able to go to any enterprise, understand that enterprise and provide a tech based solution," Vaishnaw said.The government is in talks with major IT firms and industry leaders to prepare the workforce for this shift. Upskilling and reskilling employees will be important as companies start using AI tools more widely, he added.The IT minister also stressed there should be close coordination between industry, academia and the government so that students and working professionals get the right skills for the AI era. He asked the IT industry to help design course curriculums for AI and new technologies, similar to the training programmes created for the semiconductor sector.Vaishnaw also spoke about the government’s efforts to build AI infrastructure in the country. He told reporters that India currently has around 38,000 GPUs as part of its common compute capacity and more are expected to be added soon. The country is also preparing for the next phase of its AI mission which will focus on building stronger capabilities and supporting innovation in AI.The minister also spoke about progress in the semiconductor sector. He said a 2-nanometre chip designed in India by Qualcomm is a big step for the country’s chip design ecosystem. He added that this shows India is moving beyond back-office work and can now handle the full chip design process.Vaishnaw said India’s semiconductor journey will be a long-term one with a roadmap that starts from 28-nanometre manufacturing and moves toward 7-nanometre and more advanced nodes in the coming years. He added that talent development and industry partnerships will play a key role in building a strong chip ecosystem.