Get AI to work on your terms: Microsoft Puneet Chandok's advice to everyone in the modern tech race

Microsoft India & South Asia President, Puneet Chandok, warns that businesses must maintain a delicate balance between utilizing advanced AI capabilities and preserving the human analytical edge. Chandok believes that the modern workforce is entering a new era shaped by the human-AI barbell, with technical AI skills on one end and uniquely human qualities on the other.

According to a study by Microsoft, 32% of AI users in India are 'frontier professionals', who combine agentic automation with strong human judgment, double the global average. During an event to unveil the findings of the Microsoft Work Trend Index 2026 in Bengaluru, Chandok offered a blueprint for navigating the future of work.

Chandok advises that with tools like Copilot becoming widespread, individuals should design their daily routines to sharpen their analytical minds. He emphasizes that using Copilot actively sharpens one's mind by allowing for unfiltered questioning and debate with the tool. However, he stresses that it is crucial to maintain balance, incorporating human qualities such as empathy, sense-making, curiosity, and emotional aspects.

For graduates entering the new tech landscape, Chandok advises mastering AI skills while continuing to build human skills like empathy and sense-making. He also recommends preparing for a dynamic portfolio career, as career paths will no longer be static. Campus hiring has evolved, focusing on proof of work and taste, judgment, and filter rather than just degrees.

Organizational operating models are shifting to focus on ROI and redesign workflows around tokens that work 24/7 without ego, breaks, or sleep. At Microsoft, the company aims to skill 20 million people in India, including 2 million teachers, to become frontier professionals and force multipliers in the world's largest classroom.