India could become the world’s AI skill capital by 2030, with a goal to train 350 million AI-capable workers from a current base of about 200 million AI-literate professionals.

IBM India’s leadership stresses ongoing collaboration with government and the need for policy support to enable AI skilling at scale.

To lead in AI, India must coordinate among government, industry, and academia to reskill the workforce.

There’s a sizable execution gap: 72% of surveyed organisations say they trail peers on AI, and 85% aren’t expanding beyond pilots, highlighting the need for scalable training and cross-functional investment.

Despite a large pool of engineers, many work in IT services, where generative AI is increasing efficiency through model calls rather than creating headcount growth.

AI’s potential to elevate India’s status as a global services hub hinges on addressing automation threats to engineers through upskilling.

Modernising India’s legal framework to monetise tech innovation includes reinforcing IP protections so India-made software remains commercially viable internationally.

IBM stresses IP enforcement so India can move from back-office work to monetising indigenous AI technology, not just deploying or licensing models.

IBM is expanding beyond Bengaluru and Hyderabad to tier-two cities like Kochi and Lucknow to access a broader talent pool, with Kochi nearing 4,000 employees in two years and Lucknow recently announced.

This regional expansion in India is part of a broader capacity-building push to sustain AI-driven productivity growth.

The move aligns with India’s ambition to become an AI powerhouse by leveraging its youthful demographic and expanding regional footprint to sustain AI productivity gains.

Stronger IP protections are essential to monetise AI innovations and ensure cross-border viability of Indian-developed technologies.