As India aims to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), several organisations have begun upskilling their employees to bridge the talent gap.
Most Indian IT companies have already started training their workforce on AI and related technologies. In FY24, 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 future-ready skills. Infosys has initiated customised and comprehensive in-house AI training programmes to upskill its existing workforce, according to Deloitte-Nasscom's ‘Advancing India’s AI Skills: Interventions and programmes needed’ report.
The report mentioned that last year about 43 per cent of the overall domestic workforce across sectors encountered wide use of AI in their organisations. 60 per cent of all workers and 71 per cent of GenZ professionals recognise that acquiring AI skills can enhance their career prospects. Additionally, two of three Indians plan to learn at least one digital skill, with AI and machine learning (ML) topping the list.
It is expected that India will have a surplus of talent by 2030, with over one million highly skilled tech professionals, the report added.
However, to truly harness this potential, the focus must shift towards not just quantity but the quality of AI talent, says Sathish Gopalaiah, President, Tech & Transformation, Deloitte South Asia. "By reskilling the existing workforce and fostering new talent through robust government-academia-industry collaboration, we can ensure a steady pipeline of professionals ready to lead AI-driven innovation," he adds.
