Group discussion · Current tech

GD: "The rise of AI and its impact on IT companies"

GDs reward people who bring a structure, a fact, and the group along, not the loudest speaker. Here's a ready-made structure, sourced facts, and the moves that score points.

Your win todayDeliver a 45-second opening with one hard number, then hold a balanced 3-point position for the rest of the GD.

What evaluators score

Content

Relevant points, facts with sources, and balance (not a one-sided rant).

Structure

Frameworks like "business / people / way forward". Summarising.

Team behaviour

Bring quiet members in, build on others' points, disagree politely.

Communication

Clear and calm, short sentences, no jargon dumping.

The facts (memorise 3)

Fact	Source
India's tech industry revenue: ~$315 bn in FY26, +6.1%	Nasscom Strategic Review, 24 Feb 2026, as reported by ETV Bharat
Headcount ~5.95 mn, net additions ~1.35 lakh (+2.3%), so revenue is growing faster than jobs ("non-linear")
20 lakh+ employees upskilled in AI, up to 3 lakh in advanced AI
AI revenue $10–12 bn, "in the best case 5–6%" of revenue. Campus hiring has fallen significantly.	Business Today, 24 Feb 2026
Nasscom's framing: from "implementation partner to orchestration partner". AI does "a big part of code generation", so firms "move up the stack".	Business Today

⚠️ Media also reported that the top five IT firms posted a net headcount decline in FY26, but the figures differ by outlet. If you use it, say "reports suggest", and don't quote an exact number.

The big picture: pyramid → diamond

The traditional model needs a big base of juniors billed by the hour. AI automates much of that base work (testing, boilerplate code, L1 support). The result is fewer entry roles, more value in the middle, and pressure to price on outcomes instead of effort. This is an analytical framing that's widely used in industry commentary, not an official statistic.

Your 3-point position (balanced)

1 · The threat is real, for the old model

Time-and-material billing and the junior-heavy pyramid are under pressure. The same work needs fewer hours. Campus hiring is down. Jobs grow slower than revenue.

2 · The opportunity is bigger

Clients need help integrating AI into legacy systems: data engineering, agent orchestration, governance, security. That's $10–12 bn of AI revenue already, and it's growing. GCCs keep expanding in India.

3 · People are the hinge

Reskilling at scale (20 lakh+ already upskilled). Roles shift from "write code" to "specify, review and own outcomes". Analysts who combine SQL, domain knowledge and AI tools become more valuable.

Way forward (for your summary)

Outcome-based pricing · continuous reskilling · responsible-AI governance · industry and academia aligning curricula.

The GD timeline: moves that score

If you can't open, aim to summarise. It's the second-highest-visibility moment. Never interrupt mid-sentence. Disagree with "I see it slightly differently…".

Your 45-second opener (adapt, don't recite)"AI isn't eliminating IT services, but it is changing the business model. Nasscom's latest review shows industry revenue grew about 6% in FY26 while headcount grew only about 2%. Growth is decoupling from hiring. I'd look at this through three lenses: the business model, which shifts from billing hours to delivering outcomes; the opportunity, where AI already brings in 10 to 12 billion dollars; and people, where over 20 lakh employees have been upskilled in AI. So the winners will be the firms, and the professionals, who move up the stack."

Retrieval check

What's the best opening move in a GD?

Revenue +6.1% while jobs +2.3%. What does Nasscom call this?

Which is the strongest "opportunity" argument?

One person keeps dominating. What's your best move?

Type it (fact recall)

Nasscom's FY26 estimate of AI revenue for Indian tech firms ($ billion)?

Your turn

Write your own 45-second opener in your own words, using 2 facts from the table.
Record yourself delivering it on your phone. Re-record until it's under 50 s and you don't say "um".
Prepare one rebuttal for each side ("AI will kill IT jobs" and "AI changes nothing").
Prepare a 20-second summary that covers both sides plus the way forward.
Run a 10-minute mock GD with 2–3 friends on this topic, and rotate who opens.
Skim the two news reports linked above so your facts feel natural, not memorised.

Go deeper

Primary source: the Nasscom Strategic Review 2026 coverage in ETV Bharat and Business Today (24 Feb 2026). Check nasscom.in for the official release.

💬 Ask your teacher: "run a mock GD with me, and you play 3 other participants" or "give me 5 other likely GD topics".