Code red for India’s coders

Employees at Hunar.AI, which is offering companies bespoke artificial intelligence voice agents that steer job applicants through virtually every step of the hiring process, in Gurugram, India, Jan. 20, 2026. Artificial intelligence promises to automate the white-collar work that made India a tech powerhouse, and the country is racing to adapt before it’s too late. (Saumya Khandelwal/The New York Times)

IN Gurugram, the sprawling tech suburb outside New Delhi, Krishna Khandelwal is using artificial intelligence to build an army of chatbots designed to eliminate the kind of jobs that once lifted India into the ranks of the world’s fastest-growing eco­nomies.

Since last summer, his startup, Hunar.AI, has offered companies bespoke AI voice agents that steer job applicants through virtually every step of the hiring process, from resume screening to orientation.