Artificial intelligence and the erosion of human judgement

The rise of artificial intelligence is driving a shift in the nature of work, moving beyond simple job displacement toward a phenomenon described as ‘decision poverty.’ While public debate often focuses on unemployment, a more subtle transformation is occurring where human agency and judgement are being eroded by automated systems.

In many sectors, employees are increasingly relegated to serving computer systems rather than customers or performing high-level tasks. This shift can lead to a loss of operational competence, as decision-making is moved upstream to algorithms, leaving humans to act merely as verifiers or processors of system-generated outputs.

Global data highlights the scale of this transition. The International Labour Organisation reported in 2025 that one in four workers worldwide is in an occupation with exposure to generative AI. Additionally, the IMF estimates that approximately 26% of employment in India falls into high-exposure categories, suggesting that the transformation of professional roles is a widespread global trend.