Graphic designers, writers, testers, draftsmen and editors are seeing their traditional roles replaced by AI, warns Dr Anshuka Kulkarni, associate professor and head, School of Creative Studies, D Y Patil University.
India's workforce is no stranger to technological disruption.
The IT revolution of the 1990s transformed clerical roles into coding and BPO jobs.
Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is leading a new wave of change. It is reaching beyond simple automation to touch creativity, design and engineering.
Unlike earlier machines, AI does not just lift physical burdens. It writes, draws, codes, analyses and learns.
In India, this is particularly significant because creative industries and engineering services are massive employers.
From Bollywood's proud avenues to Bengaluru's IT corridors, AI is rewriting job descriptions and sometimes replacing them outright.
Here are five roles where AI is steadily replacing traditional careers:
1. Graphic Designers
Once, designing logos, posters and social media creatives required a skilled graphic designer fluent in Photoshop or Illustrator.
Today, AI tools such as MidJourney, Stable Diffusion and Canva's AI suite can create professional quality designs within seconds.
Start-ups, small businesses and even larger Indian brands are adopting AI-generated graphics for campaigns because it saves time and reduces cost. Instead of hiring a full design team, they can rely on one creative director supported by AI tools.
In India's advertising sector, this is already visible. Agencies are cutting entry-level design positions while freelancers face stiff competition from clients who can generate designs themselves.
The new demand lies in AI-prompt engineering (framing detailed instructions for AI), curation and brand-driven creativity that AI alone cannot capture.
2. Content Writers
Indian media houses, e-commerce companies and even Bollywood studios are experimenting with AI text generation.
Product descriptions, ad taglines and even draft movie scripts are being created by AI models.
For routine content such as SEO blogs, promotional e-mails and social media captions, AI can produce a large volume of work at lightning speed.
Many Indian start-ups are shifting to hybrid teams where human editors supervise AI drafts instead of hiring large pools of junior writers.
Traditional copywriting jobs are shrinking, especially for basic content roles.
At the same time, higher-order creative writing, cultural nuance and storytelling are gaining value.
In India's diverse linguistic landscape, AI is also driving vernacular content creation -- translating or generating text in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and more. This directly impacts local media and regional film industries as AI becomes both a writing partner and a competitor.
3. Software Testers
India's IT industry employs lakhs of software testers, especially in repetitive roles, for running test cases, checking bugs and reviewing code. AI is now encroaching on this space.
Machine learning algorithms can not only predict where bugs are likely to occur, they can automatically generate test cases and run them faster than human testers.
GitHub Copilot and similar tools even suggest code corrections in real time.
Companies in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune which are the hubs of India's software services are already cutting back on manual testing roles and investing in AI testing frameworks.
For many engineering graduates, this means traditional 'testing jobs' are declining. However, opportunities are growing in AI-driven quality assurance, devops (development and operations) and system integration, where human oversight remains crucial.
4. Mechanical Draftsmen
Draftsmen in India's engineering sector traditionally prepared technical drawings for machines, buildings and infrastructure projects.
With AI-powered CAD (computer-aided design) and generative design tools, this role is transforming.
AI does not just automate drafting, it also optimises designs. For example, it can generate multiple versions of a mechanical part that use less material while maintaining strength.
Automotive firms in Pune and Chennai are already experimenting with AI-based generative design to reduce prototyping costs.
Where teams of draftsmen once prepared manual drawings, a single engineer with AI tools can now produce dozens of tested variations in hours.
Traditional draftsmen roles are disappearing but engineers skilled in AI-assisted design are highly sought after.
5. Video Editors
India's booming film, streaming and advertising industries have long employed armies of video editors.
Tasks such as cutting raw footage, balancing audio and adding subtitles are now rapidly shifting to AI platforms.
Tools like Runway, Adobe Firefly and Pika Labs can automatically edit clips, generate transitions and even create synthetic backgrounds.
Bollywood and regional studios increasingly use AI to speed up production cycles.
For social media content, where speed matters more than polish, AI is already the default.
Influencers and small agencies use AI editors to push out reels and shorts daily. As a result, traditional entry-level editing jobs are dwindling.
The focus now is on moving to advanced editing, storytelling and supervising AI workflows.
The reality is AI is taking over routine, repetitive, entry-level tasks in creative and engineering careers.
In India, where millions enter the workforce each year, this creates both risk and opportunity.
AI is not just automating India's factories or call centres; it is reshaping creative studios, engineering firms and media houses.
Graphic designers, writers, testers, draftsmen and editors are seeing their traditional roles replaced by AI. But replacement does not mean erasure.
Instead, these careers are being reborn in new forms that require human creativity, oversight and judgment.
The challenge for India is clear -- invest in re-skilling, adapt curricula in design and engineering colleges and prepare students not just to compete with AI but to collaborate with it.
Those who embrace AI as a partner rather than fear it as a rival will define the future of India's creative and engineering industries.