A significant hurdle still standing in India’s way of becoming a worldwide leader in AI is its shortage of skilled talent. In a report titled “Advancing India’s AI Skills: Interventions and programmes needed,” released in collaboration with Nasscom, Deloitte India emphasises the urgent need to develop a highly skilled AI workforce to advance the nation’s digital economy. Even if AI is increasingly used in various industries, innovation and progress may be slowed by a shortage of skilled workers. 

The rise of generative AI has further fueled the need for pertinent artificial intelligence (AI) skills in the market. Through 2027, the Indian AI market, particularly the software and services market, is expected to grow at a 25–35% CAGR. In addition to offering suggestions for national AI skilling initiatives, this study provides a perspective on organising present and future AI roles within the larger organisational structure and acquiring the necessary skills in India while learning from such global efforts. 

Skilling Takes Centre Stage as Market Grows 

The Indian AI talent pool is expected to grow from 600,000–650,000 to >1,250,000 over 2022-27.31. However, the AI market is expected to grow at a rate of 25–35 per cent, potentially signalling a demand-supply gap in the talent pool.  

Most Indian IT companies have already started training their workforce on AI and related technologies. During 2023–24, TCS trained 350,000 employees, while Wipro trained 220,000 employees on AI. Microsoft has also agreed to provide AI skilling opportunities to 2 million people in India by 2025 to empower India’s workforce with skills that are future-ready. Infosys has initiated customised and comprehensive in-house AI training programmes to upskill its workforce. They have also collaborated with multiple institutions under their digital literacy initiative, “Infosys Springboard,” to assist academia in curriculum design.  

Government-Tech Industry Partnership to Drive Skilling Revolution in India 

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has envisioned multiple K12 and Graduate/Post Graduate level interventions to develop an AI-ready talent pool. These interventions will focus on model curriculum and technology, framework, ecosystem development, research for start-ups and MSMEs, faculty training, career path mapping and building an AI community. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has also collaborated with tech companies for the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative to empower India’s workforce with future-ready skills and democratise access to AI skills nationwide. 

Industry Leaders Prioritise Internal Skilling Programs for AI and Tech Excellence 

Leading industry players are reimagining a full stack of AI and tech skills across three levels to ensure competitiveness in the global AI landscape. Ranging from basic to advanced AI skills and domain-specific expertise, including reimagined AI-enabled value chains and processes within respective disciplines. Additionally, foundational skills such as problem-solving capabilities, critical thinking and social skills such as teaming and mentorship support are also emphasised across a three-dimensional lens of AI skills: 

• Level 1—Skills of the past: These skills are relevant only for the next three to four years but will not significantly propel career growth (such as basic programming, data analysis and fundamentals of AI/ML). 
• Level 2—Skills relevant today: These AI skills are pertinent in today’s environment (such as advanced ML and deep learning, NLP, RPA and AI model deployment). 
• Level 3—Skills of tomorrow: These futuristic AI skills will become prevalent in the next few years (such as AI ethics and compliance, autonomous systems, edge AI, training and fine-tuning AI models and quantum computing for AI). 

In line with these levels, five core segments need to be targeted with different learning paths, ranging from generic to specialised: 

• AI informed: Focused on general AI literacy 
• AI users: Focused on using AI to improve productivity and be AI first in the respective discipline 
• AI integrators: IT workforce integrating AI tools and technologies into existing workflows 
• AI builders /developers /architects: Workforce that will develop AI-related software and applications 
• AI experts: Top-tier talent focused on new-age research and who have the skill and capability to develop AI models from scratch 

This paper refers to these five core segments while discussing the skills required and initiatives from industry, academia, and government. To advance India’s AI skilling while retaining its pole position as the nation with the highest AI skill penetration, the focus must be on upskilling through active industry-academia collaboration, specialised training programs, online coursework, and dedicated data and AI labs across the country. 

Full report