On the last day of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) at Trivandrum, V K Mathews, the founder chairman of IBS Software Services, in conversation with Mayura M S, Director of Mathrubhumi-Digital, shared his thoughts and insights on migration, artificial intelligence, the future of jobs, and more.

Migration has long been a defining characteristic of Kerala's workforce, but with the recent skyrocketing migration rates, this poses the challenge of losing local talent. Mathews pointed out that while Kerala has around 3.5 million migrant workers within the state, many skilled professionals leave the state due to a lack of suitable job opportunities.

"Our single-minded focus should be to create more successful enterprises and well-paying jobs," he emphasised. He believed Kerala should emerge as a fine state where people can live and work with good remuneration.

Improvement in infrastructure improved social life and entertainment options, and a thriving private sector would persuade youth professionals to remain. "You will be able to retain someone in the state only if there is a job that matches their aspiration," he stated.

Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

Discussing artificial intelligence, Mathews proposed an interesting perspective where he referred to AI as a "digital species, a digital companion" having a biological nature. "We are building a species which has its own conscience," he explained.

He solidified his point with, "And if you really want to have a comparison as a species, don't look at how it is in the physical state, but look at what it can do for you. You can communicate with it in your own language. It can see things like you see. It can process, it can take a lot of data and process it, and make sense like you are doing now. It has a much better memory than what you and I have. I know we are much more sophisticated, but 'the other fellow' has a much more predictable memory. It can act autonomously if you allow it to do so. It can learn, it can be creative, it has a personality, and it can be imaginative."

He strongly hoped that with proper regulations and ethical considerations, AI could become a trusted partner in human endeavours.

Mathews also pointed out that AI and automation will drastically change the job market. "There will be a significant demand increase in STEM jobs, while a lot of other automatable jobs will lower," he noted. He estimated that about 30-40% of current work would be different in the coming years, with roles evolving rather than disappearing.

"Most of the software engineers currently in employment will end up being prompting engineers," he predicted, that instead of programming, most coders will be instructing AI systems to write. This change will probably hurt some industrial sectors badly. However, those equipped correctly will have opportunities for themselves.