Image Source: Financial Express
Key Highlights
Renowned director Shekhar Kapur sparked controversy this week by forecasting that artificial intelligence would soon upend India's deep-rooted, certificate-based hiring culture.
Noticing the prevalence of coaching centers in India's education sector—a $25 billion shadow industry—Kapur contends that the rise of AI will render conventional qualifications and paperwork progressively obsolete for those in the job market.
He sees a near future in which AI brings world-class education to the home, radically less expensive than today's coaching models, while also profoundly changing both hiring and job definitions.
From Certificates to Competencies: What Kapur Envisions
Kapur emphasizes how Indian parents through generations pursue certificates as passports to employment security, propelling a massive informal education industry throughout cities and small towns.
But he notes that AI has eliminated all obstacles to high-quality learning—except one: verifiable qualifications. Official certificates still act as gatekeepers for recruitment, for the time being, but Kapur says this will not last.
In his view, future advancements in AI will equip each candidate with directly demonstrate-able skills, which will allow them to present skills over and above conventional pieces of paper.
Kapur concludes his vision with a provocative thought: we will all be our own CEOs in the near future—based on curiosity, actual expertise, and AI-driven self-attestation, instead of institutional credentials.
Why This Matters
The forecast is as increasingly more Indian professionals are optimistic about the influence of AI on employment and upskilling trends. Polls indicate more than 78 percent are of the view that AI is redefining career trajectories and making newer opportunities available.
Experts concur that AI is also fast democratising access to training and screening, paving the way for skills-based hiring in IT, business, creative, and technical fields. This transformation, as Kapur warns, challenges the foundation of the coaching industry and could level the playing field for millions still excluded by cost, geography, or outdated credential requirements.
Looking Forward
The discussion of AI's impact on certification and labor markets is gaining speed, as policymakers, educators, and employers alike reconsider what evidence of competence should be in the years to come.
Kapur's evaluation exhorts India to redefine success—from the rat race for degrees to a culture of empowered, self-directed learning and work.
Sources: Economic Times, Financial Express, Times of India
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