New Delhi: India is leading the world in AI talent acquisition and ranks among the top countries globally in AI skill penetration, reflecting the country’s rapidly expanding artificial intelligence workforce and digital capabilities.
Global assessments underline India’s growing strength in AI talent development, supported by strong government policy, industry participation, and expanding infrastructure.
India’s Artificial Intelligence strategy is aligned with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of democratizing technology to address India-specific challenges while creating large-scale employment opportunities.
As AI adoption accelerates across sectors such as information technology, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and governance, the demand for skilled AI professionals continues to rise.
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AI Talent Expansion
According to the Stanford AI Index Report 2025, India leads the world in AI talent acquisition, recording an annual hiring growth rate of approximately 33%.
The report also places India among the top countries globally in AI skill penetration, while highlighting that the country’s AI talent concentration has increased more than threefold since 2016.
Further reinforcing this position, India ranks among the top three countries in Stanford University’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool, which evaluates national strength in AI talent and infrastructure.
Industry estimates indicate that India’s AI talent base is expected to more than double by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of around 15%.
Global Developer Ecosystem Reflects India’s AI Talent Depth
India’s expanding AI talent pool is also visible in global developer participation. As per worldwide data on GitHub AI projects by geographic distribution, India emerged as the second-largest contributor globally in 2024, accounting for 19.9% of all AI projects.
This reflects the depth and scale of India’s AI developer ecosystem and supports the government’s focus on AI skilling, research, and innovation under the IndiaAI Mission.
Government Initiatives Strengthening the AI Talent Pipeline
The Government of India has launched multiple initiatives to support the development of a sustainable AI talent pipeline:
- IndiaAI FutureSkills
- A core pillar of the IndiaAI Mission, this initiative focuses on building AI talent and research capabilities.
- The government is supporting 500 PhD scholars, 5,000 postgraduates, and 8,000 undergraduates for AI-related work.
- Additionally, 27 IndiaAI Data and AI Labs have been established in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities through NIELIT
- 174 ITIs and polytechnics across 27 States and Union Territories have been approved to set up additional labs.
- FutureSkills PRIME
- Implemented in collaboration with NASSCOM, FutureSkills PRIME equips learners with advanced skills in AI, big data, and cloud computing.
- The platform offers over 500 courses and more than 2,000 digital fluency pathways aligned with National Occupational Standards and the National Skills Qualification Framework.
- To date, over 16.29 lakh candidates have enrolled or been trained through the platform.
iGOT Karmayogi Bharat Platform
Launched under Mission Karmayogi, this digital learning platform focuses on capacity building for government officials through online courses and certifications in emerging areas such as AI, data analytics, and digital transformation.
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National Career Service (NCS)
Operated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the NCS platform provides job matching services, career counselling, job fair information, and skill development guidance for both public and private sector opportunities.
In addition, the government has introduced a free national-level foundational course, “YUVA AI for ALL”, aimed at creating mass awareness and basic AI literacy.
India’s Long-Term AI Talent Outlook
According to a NASSCOM report, India possesses the world’s largest digitally skilled talent pool and has the capacity to reskill and develop 8–10 million professionals in AI-related services by 2030.
The government continues to adopt a whole-of-government approach, working with ministries, state governments, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders to strengthen AI talent development nationwide.
This information was submitted by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Rajya Sabha on 19.12.2025.
