Cognizant AI Chief Downplays Threat From New AI Tools
Fears that advanced artificial intelligence tools could sideline large IT services firms are exaggerated, according to Babak Hodjat, chief AI officer at Cognizant. Speaking to Reuters, Hodjat said enterprises still need significant support to deploy, integrate and govern AI systems, even as automated tools from startups like Anthropic gain traction and raise concerns about disruption in India’s labour-intensive IT sector.
Hodjat said companies are far from relying on a single, all-purpose AI agent, noting that tailoring and scaling AI across complex enterprise systems remains a specialised task. “That mapping is our job,” said Hodjat, whose past work helped power Apple’s Siri. Cognizant, which employs more than 70% of its workforce in India, recently forecast annual revenue above Wall Street expectations, citing strong demand from clients embedding AI into everyday workflows.
Other major Indian IT firms such as Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have echoed the view that AI adoption will expand, rather than erode, demand for services. While AI-related job cuts have emerged elsewhere, Cognizant says automation is not eliminating entry-level roles, highlighting continued large-scale hiring of fresh graduates even as it increases the share of code generated through AI.
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