India aims to become a global AI leader by 2047, but faces a significant talent gap. Addressing this requires reforming education, fostering industry-academic collaborations, and leveraging government initiatives to cultivate, upskill, and retain AI professionals for sustainable growth.
India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047 is not just a roadmap but a call to action, with technology leading the charge. Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as the economic multiplier of the century, projected to inject $500 billion into India’s GDP by 2025. Yet, with an installed AI talent base of just 600,000 professionals, against an anticipated demand of 1.25 million by 2027, the talent gap threatens to disrupt this momentum. To claim its position as a global AI leader, India needs an institutional framework that goes beyond strategy; it must actively build, refine, and retain world-class talent.
Challenges Faced by India in the AI Talent Space
Despite producing the world’s second-highest number of engineering graduates, India lags behind the US and China in doctoral programmes. The numbers reveal a stark disparity – India has only one-third of the number of PhD holders compared to the US and one-fifth compared to China. This shortage at the advanced research level directly impacts innovation and intellectual property creation.
Recent industry reports suggest that about 16% of global AI talent originates from India, and 25-30% of global AI talent from India pursues higher education abroad, with an estimated 60-70% of these students subsequently finding job opportunities in countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This represents a significant brain drain in the AI and technology sectors, as top talent from Indian universities often chooses international career paths.
If we juxtapose India and the UK on their AI talent index, recent data shows that the UK produces approximately 120,000-130,000 STEM graduates annually. This is significantly lower compared to India’s 1.5 million, highlighting the difference in scale between the two countries’ higher education systems. The UK focuses more on quality and specialisation, while India places a greater emphasis on quantity and broad-based technical education.
Another report indicates that India ranks 14th globally in terms of overall contributions to top AI conferences over the last five years, with only a 1.4% share of total papers presented at these events. This suggests that while India has a strong output in certain areas, it still has room for improvement in its overall presence at leading international forums.
However, there is a silver lining – India is among the leaders in native GitHub AI project uploads, demonstrating grassroots innovation potential. India’s National Education Policy, which mandates coding and AI skills in schools, has significantly contributed to GitHub’s adoption among young developers.
The Way Forward Requires a Multi-Pronged Approach
India needs to focus on upskilling the workforce on a large scale through continued collaboration between industry and academia. The Indian education system lags in practical AI training, especially in underserved regions. This challenge is particularly pronounced due to outdated curricula, limited exposure to fields like generative AI and AI ethics, and insufficient faculty expertise.
To bridge these gaps, corporate initiatives should explore public-private-academic collaborations. Real-world exposure through internships, hackathons, and AI Centres of Excellence can contribute to making practical solutions more accessible to the youth of India. Furthermore, personalised educational journeys facilitated by EdTech platforms and AI-powered adaptive learning can contribute to developing a dedicated AI talent pipeline. These online platforms can provide affordable courses and democratise education for aspiring job seekers in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
Institutes of higher education must evolve to meet the demand for emerging AI roles such as AI Product Manager, AI Ethicist, and Human-AI Interaction Designer by offering flexible, project-based learning. Faculty upskilling and involving industry experts as Professors of Practice can ensure curricula remain relevant, fostering adaptability and innovation within the multidisciplinary AI talent ecosystem.
The Government’s Role in Catalysing AI Education
The government stands at a pivotal intersection in cultivating high-quality AI talent. By deploying sophisticated learning platforms such as iGOT Karmayogi Bharat and diverse digital learning mechanisms like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the government is constructing an adaptive learning ecosystem that transcends traditional training paradigms. Initiatives like the National AI Strategy of NITI Aayog and the IndiaAI Mission further aim to position India as a global AI leader and democratise access to AI across the country.
Following the success of initiatives like UPI and Aadhaar, the government is also looking forward to creating a public platform for AI, akin to digital public infrastructure (DPI), where resources like compute power, high-quality datasets, AI model repositories, a common set of protocols, and a technical and legal framework for secure data sharing and exchange can be made available. Such platforms can be used by startups, academics, and researchers to advance open innovation across sectors like agriculture, medicine, healthcare, and education.
Furthermore, to strategically advance India’s AI educational landscape, the government could implement a multi-faceted approach: providing targeted grants for AI curriculum development across schools and higher education levels, offering scholarships for AI specialisations, introducing tax incentives for EdTech investments, and establishing a comprehensive National AI talent mapping initiative in alignment with global standards.
Addressing the talent quality gap will require collaborative efforts from academia, industry, and policymakers. By fostering inclusivity, overhauling education, and creating pathways for lifelong learning, India can not only meet the demand for 1.25 million AI professionals by 2027, but also set a benchmark in nurturing world-class AI talent.
Source: Money Control
