PARIS, France – In a surprising display of transnational unity, leaders from two of the world’s largest democracies have pushed back against growing fears that artificial intelligence will lead to massive job losses, instead painting a picture of workplace transformation that could benefit millions of workers globally.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the high-profile AI Action Summit in Paris last week, presented a united front on what has become one of the most contentious aspects of AI development – its impact on employment.
“Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption. But, history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created,” Modi told attendees during his keynote address. The Prime Minister, who co-chaired the summit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, emphasized that the focus should be on “skilling and reskilling our people for an AI-driven future.”
Vance, representing the Trump administration at the gathering of global leaders and tech executives, quickly aligned himself with Modi’s perspective. “AI, I really believe, will facilitate and make people more productive. It is not going to replace human beings,” Vance asserted, his voice rising slightly as he warmed to the topic. “It will never replace human beings, and I think too many of the leaders in the AI industry when they talk about this fear of replacing workers, I think they really missed the point.”
A Tale of Two Perspectives
The summit, which drew hundreds of attendees including tech luminaries and policy makers from nearly forty countries, highlighted the growing divide between optimistic visions of AI’s future impact and more sobering assessments from economic analysts.
Modi, dressed in his signature customized kurta, commanded attention as he framed AI advancement as ultimately beneficial if managed properly. “We are at the dawn of the AI age that will set the course of humanity,” he said, as attendees listened intently. “Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans, but no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us.”
For his part, Vance promised that the Trump administration would place American workers at the center of U.S. AI policy. “We refuse to view AI as a purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate away our labor force,” he said, his Midwestern accent becoming more pronounced as he emphasized key points. “We believe, and we will fight for policies that ensure that AI is going to make our workers more productive, and we expect that they will reap the rewards with higher wages, better benefits, and safer and more prosperous communities.”
Warning Signs Persist
However, just steps away from the optimistic speeches inside the summit, protesters gathered with signs reading “AI ≠Job Security” and “Humans First,” highlighting public anxiety that persists despite assurances from politicians.
Such concerns aren’t without merit. India’s own Economic Survey 2024-2025, published just weeks before Modi’s trip to Paris, painted a far less rosy picture of AI’s impact on jobs. The survey warned that artificial intelligence could lead to “significant job displacement, particularly affecting middle and lower-wage brackets workers.”
V Anantha Nageswaran, India’s Chief Economic Advisor who helped prepare the survey, offered a more nuanced perspective during a press conference. “Sometimes, we all feel that technology eventually generates more jobs than it displaces. That is true, but the keyword is—eventually,” he noted, wiping his glasses before continuing. “What happens between now and eventually is critical…Technological transitions have not been painless in the past, particularly during the previous three industrial revolutions in the Western world and we need to learn from them.”
Similar warnings have come from other quarters. Last year, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem raised concerns that as AI becomes more established, “it could destroy more jobs than it creates,” leaving displaced workers struggling to find new opportunities in an increasingly automated economy.
Policy Promises vs. Economic Reality
Despite these concerns, Vance doubled down on the administration’s optimistic approach, outlining concrete steps the U.S. would take to prepare workers for an AI-driven economy.
“The administration will make sure that America has the best-trained workforce in the world,” he promised. “Our schools will teach students how to manage, how to supervise, and how to interact with AI-enabled tools as they become more and more part of our everyday lives.”
Vance, who rose to prominence after publishing his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” seemed particularly animated when discussing the importance of including workers in policy decisions. “For all major AI policy decisions coming from the federal government, the Trump administration will guarantee American workers a seat at the table and we’re very proud of that,” he said to a round of applause.
The Human Element
Outside the venue, I spoke with Rajiv Sharma, a software engineer from Bangalore attending the summit. “I think Modi and Vance are both right and wrong,” he told me, adjusting his glasses as the February wind whipped through the Parisian streets. “Yes, new jobs will be created, but the transition will be brutal for many. I’ve already seen it happen with my friends in customer service – those jobs are disappearing fast.”
Anne-Marie Dupont, an economist with the European Commission, offered a more measured assessment. “The leaders are correct that historically, technological advancement creates more jobs than it eliminates – eventually,” she said, echoing Nageswaran’s cautious optimism. “But the key question is: how do we manage the transition? And more importantly, how do we ensure the benefits are widely shared?”
Technical Solutions
Some experts at the summit suggested that emerging technologies like blockchain could help address AI-related challenges. “For AI to work properly within legal frameworks and navigate growing challenges, it needs integration with enterprise blockchain systems,” explained Dr. Marcus Weinstein, a technology researcher at MIT. “This ensures data quality, ownership, and security while guaranteeing data immutability – essentially creating a trusted foundation for AI systems.”
Such technical solutions may help address concerns about AI’s reliability and trustworthiness, though they don’t directly address the employment questions that dominated much of the summit discussion.
Global Impact, Local Concerns
What became clear throughout the summit is that while leaders like Modi and Vance present optimistic visions on the global stage, local communities worldwide remain deeply concerned about AI’s more immediate impacts.
During a brief coffee break, I spoke with Julia Martinez, a labor union representative from Spain. “Politicians always talk about the long term, about eventual benefits,” she said with a sigh. “But workers need solutions now. When a call center closes because of AI, those employees can’t wait for ‘eventual’ new jobs to appear.”
This disconnect between high-level policy optimism and ground-level anxiety was perhaps the summit’s most palpable tension.
Finding Middle Ground
As the summit concluded, both Modi and Vance seemed aware of the need to bridge this gap. Modi emphasized that “we must ensure AI development benefits all sections of society,” while Vance acknowledged that “addressing worker concerns must be at the heart of any successful AI policy.”
Whether these leaders can translate their optimistic rhetoric into meaningful policies that protect workers during what could be a tumultuous transition remains an open question.
For now, as the delegates departed from Paris, both the promises and the warnings about AI’s impact on jobs continue to echo, leaving workers worldwide to wonder which vision of the future will ultimately prove correct.
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