New technology must create more jobs than it destroys, says Mukesh Ambani

Business Standard: Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday said it is a major task to ensure that new technologies create more employment opportunities compared to the amount of job losses they cause.

Speaking at MobiCom 2018 here, he also said that he is optimistic about technological disruption creating more opportunities despite all the apprehension.

A major task is "to ensure that new and disruptive technologies create more employment opportunities than they take away," Ambani said.

Although he expressed optimism regarding employment opportunities, he said there is apprehension in the society regarding the same and these apprehensions may delay the process of digital transformation.

"These very apprehensions could resist or delay digital transformation of our societies. That would be a mistake," he noted.

ALSO READ: After years of global success, Mukesh Ambani's RIL faces oil shock at homeAmbani emphasised that governments, businesses and civil society organisations should put together an ecosystem for massive upskilling of the workforce.

"Significantly, most of the upskilling can happen on digital platforms."

Apart from employment, the RIL Chairman said the country also needs to prepare for a period of information and digital abundance and adopt to the pace of innovation. He also stressed the need to shift from a system of time-bound education to a mode of continuous learning. BS