Building India’s AI-Ready Workforce: What Needs To Be Done

As India positions itself to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, the focus has shifted from innovation alone to building a robust AI-ready workforce. With NASSCOM projecting that India will require over 1 million AI professionals by 2027, the urgency to bridge the talent gap has never been more critical.

According to a 2024 report by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), only 25% of India’s current tech workforce possesses AI-related skills, with the demand expected to grow at a CAGR of 33.49% over the next three years. This glaring gap highlights the need for an overhaul in educational curricula, corporate training modules, and public-private partnerships.

“India’s demographic dividend can either be our greatest strength or a missed opportunity,” said Arpit Sarda, Founder of Mirai School of Technology. “We need to make AI literacy as fundamental as digital literacy was a decade ago and that is why we have launched the Mirai School of Technology. We're building an ecosystem where students learn to lead with AI, not just adapt to it," he said.

Add Zee News as a Preferred Source

Experts believe that India must make AI education an integral part of the curriculum and use it as a base for learning. 

Mirai is partnering with AICTE- and UGC-approved colleges to offer B.Tech and BCA degree programs designed around AI tools, certifications and real-world applications. The programs are intended to help students build careers in areas such as generative AI, machine learning and automation.

To make India’s workforce future-ready, experts suggest a multi-pronged approach: integrating AI and data science into school and college syllabi, incentivizing corporate upskilling programs, and fostering regional language AI education to ensure inclusivity.

"Students today not only learn about AI-they should build with it from day one, using the same tools powering innovations at companies like Google and OpenAI," said Kartik Mathur,  Founding Member and Academic Head at Mirai. 

Meanwhile, states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana have launched AI-focused skilling hubs in collaboration with the private sector.

India’s AI ambition hinges not just on algorithms and innovation but on equipping its human capital. The road ahead is steep—but with coordinated efforts, achievable. With India's AI market expected to reach $17 billion by 2027 and showing rapid growth potential, coupled with a significant shortage of AI-skilled professionals, institutions like Mirai place India at crucial juncture.