Kozhikode: What will be the future of work in India in a fast moving world of automation and artificial intelligence? Don't be afraid of it, but one must adapt and update was the view that emerged in a brainstorming session of young entrepreneurs and professionals held at Kozhikode.

No need to be anxious over the elimination of labourers by automation as they can be reskilled and assigned to other fields, according to the participants of the session organised by Y20, in the run up to the upcoming G20 summit.

Y20 is an official Youth Engagement Group of the 2023 G20 Summit. Kozhikode is the only city in Kerala which got the chance to host one of the 50 sessions being conducted across the country.

To make the young generation tech-ready, the education system should be focused on it. Employees in every organisation must be update themselves time to time. ChatGPT or robotics, we can't restrict automation in any field, but we must make use of it in a smart and effective way. Big firms can make use of robotics in the manufacturing field, as it requires big capital investments.

MSMEs can afford it in the service sector. It's a fact that women's involvement in the manufacturing sector is very low. For this, we can utilise robotics and make women's participation rate higher - the session suggested. Better to assign robots than human labourers for risky tasks in sectors like nuclear energy, sanitation, health and so on.

Around 40 selected youngsters from Malabar region were in attendance. Entrepreneurs from the state Sumitha Sudhakar, Kailash Nadh, Vimal Govind, Deena Jacob, Vinay James Kynadi and Thoufeeq Ahammed Moidu were amongst the panelists. The discussions were moderated by Omkumar Krishnan, professor at IIM Kozhikode.

The session was inaugurated by Kozhikode Mayor Dr Beena Philip. Malabar Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Research and Information System For developing countries (under the Ministry of External affairs) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports hosted the Y20 brainstorming session.

'The theme of the session was 'Future work: Industry 4.0, Innovation and 21st Century Skills'. Malabar Chamber of Commerce President M A Mehaboob presided over.