Future of AI is ‘Humans Plus AI’ Not Replacing Them, Says Ex-KPMG CEO Arun M. Kumar

Arun M Kumar on India’s AI moment, why policy is finally closing the gap, and how artificial intelligence could become a great economic leveller

India may not have been the earliest mover in artificial intelligence, but momentum has decisively shifted in its favour, according to Arun M Kumar, Managing Partner at Celesta Capital and former Chairman and CEO of KPMG India.

Speaking to Republic Digital at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Kumar said India is now entering a phase where policy clarity, government funding and talent depth are aligning in a way that could accelerate AI adoption at scale.

“I think there are others who are far ahead of India many years ago, but India has a lot happening right now and there has been a huge push certainly in the last two years,” he said.

Policy, Funding And Talent Are Finally Converging

Kumar underlined that the most critical shift has come from policy intent and state-backed support. “The policy is so important, the funding support that the government is taking up is really going to push people forward very, very fast,” he said.

According to him, India never lacked capability; it lacked alignment. “There’s a lot of interest, a lot of talent, a tremendous amount of talent, and there was a gap. And I think now that has been addressed,” Kumar said, adding, “So I’m very, very excited about this.”

AI And Jobs: Opportunity, Not Opposition

On the recurring concern that AI could displace jobs, Kumar pushed back against the framing itself. “Any new technology will be effective. Any new technology is a new opportunity,” he said.

The real shift though, he argued, is conceptual. “It’s a question of not human beings versus AI, but human beings plus AI,” Kumar said.

He believes the scale of opportunity ahead is still being underestimated. “My own belief is that it’s going to have a lot of opportunities and we can’t even think about it,” he added.

Why AI Could Narrow, Not Widen, The Economic Divide

In one of the most striking parts of the conversation, Kumar described AI as fundamentally different from previous technology waves. “The interesting thing about AI is that it’s less tech-based,” he said, adding, “You can get on to it and learn it very fast.”

Unlike legacy technologies that required deep technical training, AI lowers entry barriers.“You can start using it with any technique. You can explore the world,” he said.

This, Kumar believes, makes AI a powerful equaliser. “In a way, it’s a leveller between techs and non-techs,” he said, adding that, “You can make tech people homoproducts and make non-tech people do things they might not have always been able to do.”

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