Technology won't kill but create jobs: Narayana Murthy

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will not render people jobless in the future, but rather create more opportunities for humans, Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy said here.

The renowned IT Industrialist noted that technology provides an opportunity for people to move from drudgery to tasks that require more human touch.

"AI definitely is a very important topical area of computer sciences. AI, machine learning, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), these are all areas which are likely to make the lives of human beings even more comfortable," Murthy told PTI.

Giving the example of the US, the UK, and Japan, which embraced technology early on, he noted that these countries have been able to reduce unemployment rates to single digits.

According to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report, the rapid evolution of machines and algorithms in the workplace could create 133 million new roles in place of 75 million that will be displaced by 2022.

"If you observe the economic history of this world in the last 50 years when computers started playing a bigger role, you can realise that those countries that absorb technology more enthusiastically, have reduced their unemployment much more than those which did not embrace technology, Murthy said.

Dismissing the argument that technology renders people unemployed he said that "it is not really true."