ADVERTISEMENTs
Indian-origin professor at Brown explains why AI won’t replace creative work
Suresh Venkatasubramanian says AI raises questions, but it's our tool, not an autonomous force.
-
Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 09, Jul 2025
- 02:21 EDT
- 41
Suresh Venkatasubramanian. / Brown University
Suresh Venkatasubramanian, an Indian-origin computer scientist and an IIT Kanpur alumnus, has said that fears about artificial intelligence replacing human jobs are often exaggerated.
Speaking to Brown University in a video interview, Venkatasubramanian, who directs the Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign at Brown’s Data Science Institute, compared AI to earlier tools that extended human capabilities.
“The way in which we work, the kinds of jobs we think are worth doing and get paid to do, and the effectiveness with which we do them — all of that is being called into question now with AI,” he said. “If you've ever used a calculator in school, you've had access to a device that was smarter than you because it could do things you could not do and it could do it faster. That is always the case.”
Responding to concerns about job loss, he said it depends on the nature of the work. “If you think the job you're doing is one that can be replaced by a system that gives those kind of B-minus, C-plus answers, that perhaps is a job that could be replaced,” he said. “But if you're doing work that requires… a certain degree of creativity or thinking or experience or knowledge, then it is not likely that systems in existence today will be able to replace you.”
He added that AI is not a living or conscious entity. “AI is just a tech. It’s a piece of technology. It’s not alive. It’s not conscious. It’s us,” he said. “We have to realize that we have control over how we build AI systems, what we do with them, and what we don’t do with them.”
Venkatasubramanian acknowledged that AI has sparked unease. “The fear comes from the idea that somehow then we are not human anymore, that we are being supplanted by something else. But why? Every time something has come along that seems to be able to do something better than us, we’ve taken it, adopted it, and have gone to the next level.”
He believes AI will allow people to move away from repetitive tasks and focus more on creative work. “I think the story of how people have adapted to technology has been that we then can outsource some of the more boring stuff to the tech and then lift to the next level of creativity. And I think that’s what will happen here too,” he said.
Related
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login