Ever since ChatGPT was made available to the public in 2022, there have been discussions about AI’s ability to replace humans. The AI ​​chatbot performed tasks that were previously considered exclusive to humans. From writing code to composing poetry, ChatGPT could do it all. And as time went on, even smarter versions of the AI ​​tool were released. With all this progress in AI, concerns also began to emerge. Many tech experts said that AI could one day take away the jobs of humans while others were more positive. For example, human software engineers were worried about losing their jobs now that AI can write code in minutes.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who has often expressed excitement about AI technology and its potential impact on the world, said during a recent interview that AI cannot replace human software engineers. He added that we will need them even in the age of AI. Gates joined Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath for the inaugural episode of Kamath’s podcast series, “People by WTF.” During their 30-minute conversation, Gates and Kamath spoke extensively about their early days at Microsoft and the transformational impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various industries, especially software engineering.

Gates expressed his optimism about the future of software engineering jobs despite the growing influence of AI. He highlighted the potential of AI to increase productivity and serve as an educational tutor, pointing to successful projects in India and the US. “The amazing thing about this technology is that we know it can help in key areas, and we know it can create educational tutors. We have seen many projects in India and the US showing great results. The potential is incredible if we know it only makes jobs more productive,” Gates remarked while talking about the positive contributions of AI.

Addressing fears of AI replacing software engineers, Gates described such fears as “frightening”. He assured that the demand for software engineers will remain strong, saying, “We still need those software engineers because we’re not going to eliminate the need for them.” This assurance comes as a relief to those who are worried about job displacement due to the advancement of AI.

Gates acknowledged that AI automation could one day reach a level where it could replace many jobs, but he downplayed the likelihood of this happening in the next twenty years. He acknowledged some uncertainty about predicting the long-term impact of AI on the workforce, suggesting that it is a complex issue that is difficult to accurately forecast.

Apart from discussing AI, Gates and Kamath also touched upon a number of other topics, including Gates’ special relationship with India. Gates recalled his experiences with India and how Microsoft hired talented IT graduates who contributed significantly to the company’s success. He said, “I have had a wonderful relationship with India, starting with the Microsoft experience where we hired some very smart IT graduates, brought them to Seattle. Later they went back, built a development center for us which is now in four locations, with 25,000 people. Of course, the wonderful people that I work with and take great pleasure in Microsoft’s success are part of the team who have been hired from India.”