Quiet quitting comes to India. AI will make it worse.

Students attend a computer and information technology class at a learning center in New Delhi. AI is boosting productivity for experienced Indian workers while blocking young recruits from building the skills they will need to succeed in their careers. | Bloomberg

By Andy Mukherjee
Bloomberg

Oct 25, 2026

Doomsday predictions of artificial intelligence causing massive white-collar job losses haven’t come to pass. At least not yet.

There is, however, evidence that AI tools, while helping experts become more productive, are hollowing out the skills that young people acquire early in their careers. This divergence may be showing up as a big jump in “quiet quitting” — a lack of meaningful workplace connection — even in an economy like India’s, where youth are starved of decent employment.

A wave of emotional detachment is sweeping corporations. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace survey, employee engagement declined for a second year in 2025 to its lowest level since 2020. India is mimicking the trend, with barely 23% of staff feeling invested in their roles. A staggering 59% are doing just enough to survive. The rest have switched off entirely.

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