A new report by ServiceNow says that agentic artificial intelligence (AI) will cause major changes in India’s manufacturing, retail and education sectors by 2030. It will affect over 1.8 crore jobs, with manufacturing facing the biggest impact (8 million jobs), followed by retail (7.6 million) and education (2.5 million). Jobs involving routine tasks such as payroll and coordination are being replaced by AI agents, while roles that work with AI, such as system admins, are on the rise.

Despite the concerns, the report offers hope. It says agentic AI will create over 3 million new tech jobs and redefine over 1.35 crore existing roles. Sumeet Mathur, head of ServiceNow India Technology and Business Center, said India has a huge opportunity in AI by training skilled workers, improving business processes and embracing innovation.

The company’s survey of over 500 business leaders found that 13.5% of tech budgets are already going towards AI. A quarter of Indian companies are currently in the process of adopting AI. However, many are still concerned about data security, and 26% are unsure what skills their employees will need in the future.