New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- The confidence with which artificial intelligence (AI) can eye human jobs has taken a leap, thanks to the rise of AI agents. Right now, AI's frontier of capability is jagged, marked by highs and lows, but it's fast improving.

India's discourse on the impact of AI needn't venture into doom scenarios (like bots reducing us to serfdom or taking charge of nukes) for us to broach closer risks. Is there a case for human job quotas? We must debate this.

What if mass automation inverts labour market power equations once a few AI toolmakers acquire dominance? Right now, we're at the stage of market creation. How returns will eventually be obtained by Big AI from the huge sums being invested calls for analysis; at some point...