What the new era of AI means for your career

For years, we have been told that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming for our jobs. But if you look past the data centres and server rooms, a very different story is unfolding. AI is no longer just a corporate tech upgrade. It is about to completely change how you work, think and grow in your career.

In the latest episode of Mint’s series All About AI hosted by Abhishek Singh, Associate Editor at LiveMint, top global and regional leaders from Salesforce discussed the rise of Agentic AI - smart digital assistants that can handle complex tasks on their own. The core message of the discussion was that the future is not about competing with machines but about learning how to pilot them.

Your job description is about to move beyond silos

Organisations are beginning to use AI to break down traditional corporate walls, shifting the focus from tracking daily tasks to achieving actual results. Nathalie Scardino, President and Chief People Officer at Salesforce, explained that their strategy over the past 18 months has focused on rewiring day-to-day operations so people and digital agents can work side-by-side.

“We know that the agentic era is a platform and technology transformation, but fundamentally it is a people one. The biggest shift is now that employees are less focused on a job description or a traditional role definition. And now it is about outcomes across the enterprise,” she said.

By embedding these tools into platforms you already use daily, like Slack, you spend less time hunting for information across different departments and more time driving the big picture.

You don’t need to be a coder to win

One of the biggest anxieties today is the fear of being left behind by fast-moving technology. However, India stands at an advantage as we share a unique relationship with digital tools, whether it is street vendors using UPI or rural businesses that run entirely on smartphones.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO of Salesforce South Asia, pointed out that you don’t need a computer science degree to thrive in this new world order. The best way to adapt to technology is to start using it.

“When you have a lot of anxiety, the best antidote to that is action. The good thing about AI this time is that it has really democratised access because it is something in the agentic world that you can do with any language that you are aware of. Natural language is acceptable,” she said.

You can interact with AI agents using everyday language, so the barrier to entry has vanished. The technology is designed to take away your mundane grunt work, giving you back hours of your day to focus on problems that actually require a human touch.

Reducing mental fatigue and improving impact

Think about the sheer volume of repetitive emails, data routing and minor queries that drain your energy every week. By offloading that heavy cognitive load to AI, professionals are finally getting the breathing room to do the work they actually enjoy.

Sugi Venkatesh, SVP of Employee Success at Salesforce South Asia, spoke about how automating high-volume and low-complexity internal questions has helped change the dynamic for their teams.

“The ground reality is that there is a dramatic reduction of cognitive load to our people. AI is not going to take your jobs away. But the future belongs to professionals who collaborate with AI and redesign their own roles,” he said. When the digital noise is cleared away, you have the time and energy to focus on the 4 per cent of your job that requires real emotional intelligence, strategy and sharp judgment.

Looking ahead

Algorithms are efficient at processing data and optimising schedules, but they completely lack critical thinking, ethical boundaries and empathy. The professionals who thrive tomorrow will be the ones who use AI to clear away the mundane work, leaving them to focus on creativity and human connection.

Note to Readers: This is a Mint editorial initiative, sponsored by Salesforce.