‘AI will take 80% of these jobs’: UAE billionaire warns India about threat to traditional outsourcing

AI Revolution: Dubai Magnate Warns of Job Market Disruption, India’s Outsourcing Sector Vulnerable

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos, Dubai business magnate Hussain Sajwani sounded a stark warning about the future of global employment: artificial intelligence is not just a productivity tool, it is a job-market revolution and economies dependent on outsourced work could be especially vulnerable. Sajwani’s comments have sparked wide debate over how AI adoption might reshape international labour markets, particularly in India’s massive outsourcing sector.Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of developer Damac Group, said that AI is poised to change the world “10 or even 100 times more” than the Internet did and that countries which do not embrace it, risk being “left behind”. He predicted that nations heavily reliant on outsourced labour would face significant disruption as automation replaces roles historically filled by human workers.

Why India’s outsourcing sector is seen as vulnerable

India has long been the world’s outsourcing hub, with millions of jobs in IT services, business process outsourcing (BPO), call centers and back-office functions feeding its economic engine. A 2025 industry analysis suggests that AI-driven automation could reshape this very sector. Tata Consultancy Services’ decision to cut 12,200 staff has been interpreted by analysts as the start of broader downsizing, potentially affecting up to half a million jobs over the next few years if traditional tasks continue being automated. These kinds of jobs including routine programming, manual testing, customer support and administrative work are easy targets for AI systems that can perform them faster and cheaper. Sajwani echoed such concerns in Davos, asserting that in future “AI is going to take 80 per cent of accountant jobs, nurses and so on and so forth,” thereby reducing demand for outsourced services.While BJP-aligned commentators on social platforms argued that this transformation is inevitable and that India must pivot toward innovation and new AI-related opportunities, many workers worry about what it means for livelihoods built around outsourcing.

Global AI leaders vs traditional job markets

Sajwani cited a widening global AI adoption gap, arguing that countries like China, the United States, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are making massive investments and accelerating their AI capabilities while regions that hesitate or over-regulate risk losing competitive ground. He even compared AI resistance to historical technological setbacks like the Ottoman Empire’s rejection of the typewriter.

This is not just rhetoric. A recent LinkedIn poll found that the UAE ranks second in the world for AI tool usage among professionals, with high percentages of workers incorporating generative AI into their daily tasks and jobs. This is a sign that some labour markets are rapidly adjusting to AI realities.Meanwhile, broader surveys show that a large proportion of recruiters in the Gulf believe jobs will be affected by generative AI, with many companies expecting roles to evolve or be replaced entirely.

Not just job loss: AI jobs changing hands and skills

However, experts caution that AI’s impact will not be solely about layoffs. The Indian Economic Survey 2026, for example, stresses that while routine automation may displace some roles, there’s “good news” in the creation of new opportunities and the ongoing demand for human soft skills, creativity and adaptability. These are the attributes that AI is less likely to replicate soon.Analysts say that India’s advantage is a large talent base and high AI skill penetration could enable the country to shift from being primarily a labour exporter to becoming an innovation and AI services hub. Training in AI and digital skills, along with investments in data centers and local computing infrastructure, might help cushion the job market against shocks while creating higher-value employment.Similarly, global tech commentators note that in many markets including the UAE, AI is not just eliminating jobs but creating new roles in areas like AI development, data science, robotics and AI integration, even while reshaping existing ones.

Sajwani’s forecast has broader implications beyond employment. It touches on global inequality in technology access, trade dynamics in services and how governments should prepare their education systems and workforce policies for an AI-dominated future. Countries that fail to upskill their labour force could see outsourcing revenues shrink, while tech-forward economies might attract more investment and command higher wages for advanced work.Indian policymakers have already emphasised the need for vocational training, reskilling and AI-focused education to mitigate displacement and position the workforce for higher-order roles that cannot easily be automated. At the same time, Gulf nations like the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue aggressive AI talent development and digital transformation strategies, aiming to become regional tech hubs and diversify away from oil-based economies.

What workers and students should watch

For millions of workers, particularly in sectors tied to outsourcing, the message is that AI cannot be ignored. Success in the coming decade will likely depend on reskilling, embracing technology and shifting towards roles that leverage uniquely human capabilities. These include creativity, management, ethics and interpersonal communication and are areas where AI assists but does not replace.At the same time, the debate sparked by figures like Sajwani highlights how global economic leadership and technology policy are rapidly intertwining, reshaping not only jobs but also geopolitical power structures and labour market competitiveness. Hussain Sajwani’s intervention at Davos has positioned AI not just as a technological shift but as an economic disruptor with global implications, especially for countries historically built on outsourced labour models like India’s. Go to Source