Best of BS Opinion: Automation surge and the fragile nuclear peace

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Anthropic’s launch of Claude Cowork has unsettled the global technology industry, erasing vast market value within days and hitting Indian IT majors particularly hard. The Nasdaq slide reflected a deeper fear that AI may reshape software services faster than expected, highlights our first editorial. At Davos, Anthropic founder and CEO Dario Amodei suggested that AI could perform most tasks done by engineers within a year, a statement that amplified investor anxiety. For firms built on billing by time and manpower, the model looks directly challenged, and even large SaaS platforms face questions about relevance. 

Meanwhile, concerns about global security have grown as nuclear-armed states adopt more assertive postures and old arms-control mechanisms fade, notes our second editorial. The expiry of the New START treaty between the US and Russia has removed the last binding cap on their arsenals at a time when both are modernising aggressively. India’s marginal lead over Pakistan in warhead numbers adds another layer of regional tension. The spread of nationalism across West Asia and Eastern Europe further weakens deterrence, and without multilateral momentum, the world may drift into an unregulated nuclear race. 

On the domestic front, Laveesh Bhandari argues that India’s trade unions are resisting the new labour Codes without presenting precise objections. The Codes seek to replace nearly 29 laws with a simpler framework, yet unions have called for repeal and a return to the older system. Bhandari maintains that employment decisions should not need government permission and that worker security must rely on skilling, insurance, and safer workplaces rather than rigid job protection.  

Another reform story comes from Saurabh Garg, who explains the rebuilding of India’s Consumer Price Index with a 2024 base year. Price collection now covers more rural and urban markets and, for the first time, selected online platforms. New service items such as OTT subscriptions and airfares enter the basket, while weights have been updated using the latest consumption survey. Food’s share has declined, and rural housing and detailed healthcare services are included, bringing the index closer to current spending realities and global standards. 

Finally, Chittajit Mitra reviews Whither Human Rights in India, a book that tracks the weakening of institutions which are meant to protect liberty. The essays, edited by Anand Teltumbde, describe a judiciary that has delivered important verdicts yet struggled to defend dissent. The volume argues that intolerance once considered marginal has moved to the centre of politics, and it urges readers to recover constitutional principles before they fade further. 

Stay tuned!