TCS expects equal number of AI agents and staff in 3 years

At its annual general meeting on Tuesday, Tata Consultancy Services chairman N Chandrasekaran told shareholders the firm expects to operate as many AI agents as human employees within three years and will slow hiring rather than cut staff. He linked the change to wider use of automation across India’s $315 billion IT sector.

Chandrasekaran told the meeting automated systems will take on tasks previously performed by people, which will reduce hiring across TCS and the broader industry. He indicated the company will recruit more slowly while new roles emerge as client work and internal processes are redesigned around AI.

TCS is India’s largest IT firm by market value and headcount. The company eliminated more than 12,000 roles last July and reported a net headcount decline of over 23,000 in the fiscal year ended March 2026.

The trend appears beyond technology services. Some hedge funds plan to deploy AI bots to scan markets, analyze securities and recommend positions, while human managers retain final trading decisions.

Employment data shows AI has been cited in a growing number of job losses. Through 2026, 87,714 job cuts were attributed to AI, about 22% of layoffs this year, surpassing the 54,836 roles linked to AI in 2025. A tech job tracker recorded 117,571 tech employees laid off across 175 companies so far in 2026.

At the meeting Chandrasekaran predicted, “I predict that over the next 3 years, TCS will have as many AI agents as human employees.” He also remarked, “Some of the work being done will go to AI agents. That will be the nature of the transition that we have to go through not only as a company, as an industry, and as a country.”

Chandrasekaran urged companies to reskill staff to work alongside AI and redesign operations so employees can manage and apply AI systems. TCS plans to expand its use of AI agents; the company says it will balance automation with hiring at a slower pace while seeking new roles for staff.