The Anxious Architects of AI
Conventional wisdom suggests that the safest job in the age of AI is working directly with it. A recent survey of Indian professionals, however, turns that idea on its head. According to a July 2026 poll by the anonymous professional network Blind, a staggering
66% of professionals in AI and Machine Learning (ML) roles expect layoffs or significant team reductions in the near future. This level of anxiety places them among the most concerned groups in the tech sector, second only to sales and marketing professionals (68%) and ahead of product and design teams (65%). The finding challenges the assumption that an AI-focused role is a golden ticket to job security. Despite massive corporate investment in AI, the very people creating the technology appear to feel just as vulnerable as those in roles widely expected to be disrupted by it.
The Calm Engineers in the Storm
In stark contrast to the anxiety felt by their AI-specialist peers, general engineering professionals report significantly more confidence. The same survey found that engineers were the least likely to fear imminent job cuts. Only 24% of engineers stated that layoffs were 'very likely' for their teams, the lowest proportion across all functions surveyed. While their overall 'at-risk' sentiment was 58%, this was still below the survey's average, indicating a comparatively optimistic outlook. This confidence doesn't stem from ignorance of AI's power but from a fundamental shift in their role. As AI coding assistants become commonplace, the job of an engineer is evolving from manually writing every line of code to strategically directing, reviewing, and supervising AI-generated work. They are becoming the human overseers of the technology, a position that firms seem to value highly.
A Tale of Two Skillsets
So, why the dramatic difference in sentiment between an AI/ML specialist and a general software engineer? The data suggests it comes down to the nature of their work and perceived stability. General engineering represents a core, foundational business function necessary to maintain products and infrastructure. Data and analytics teams, who also perform a core function, similarly reported higher confidence levels than AI teams. In contrast, AI and ML roles, while cutting-edge, may be more tied to experimental projects and specific new products. In a volatile market, these can be the first to be cut if they don't show immediate returns. The survey hints that professionals building the AI tools feel their roles are more precarious than those whose foundational skills allow them to apply those tools. The lesson is that building the technology and applying it are viewed very differently in terms of job security.
The Upskilling Imperative for All
This confidence gap provides a crucial insight for India’s entire workforce. The path to security in the AI era isn't simply about getting an 'AI job'. Instead, it's about developing the skills to work alongside AI, to manage it, and to leverage it for strategic goals. The engineers' confidence comes from their ability to adapt, using AI to become more productive orchestrators of technology rather than just its assembly-line workers. This highlights a broader trend: companies are prioritizing workers who possess the critical thinking and architectural skills to guide AI effectively. Other reports confirm that while AI is displacing some roles, it is creating more new ones, but these new positions demand a higher level of expertise. The message is clear: continuous learning and evolving one's skillset to complement, rather than compete with, artificial intelligence is the most secure career strategy.
