India AI professionals demand to hit 1 million by 2026
Source: livemint.com
India is expected to experience a significant increase in the demand for AI professionals, with projections indicating a need for one million skilled workers by 2026, according to a report by the Union Ministry of Electronics & IT.
Engineering Education Transformation
As India aims to become a USD 23-USD 35 trillion economy by 2047, higher education, especially in engineering, is changing to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving job market influenced by AI, automation, and interdisciplinary innovation. Engineering education is central to this shift.
According to the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the number of approved B. Tech seats for the 2024-25 academic year has increased to 14.9 lakh, a nearly 16 per cent rise over four years. This growth is primarily due to a more than 50 per cent increase in seats for Computer Science and related fields like AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Blockchain, reflecting strong industry demand.
India's tech education is increasingly adopting interdisciplinary and industry-integrated learning to develop engineers who can code, create, collaborate, and lead innovation. The shift from STEM to STEAM, which adds Arts, is gaining traction, combining technical knowledge with design thinking, communication, psychology, law, and business.
Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
Symbiosis International (Deemed University) recently announced the launch of Symbiosis Artificial Intelligence Institute (SAII), an AI-focused institute that will integrate AI into academic programs and research.
According to Amruta Yeravdekar Ruikar, Head of International Admissions & Promotions, Symbiosis International University, Symbiosis' curriculum combines theoretical foundations with real-world applications, creating an ecosystem that fosters both technical depth and interdisciplinary breadth. Both B. Tech and BCA programs integrate AI in specializations to prepare students for the future.
India Skills Report 2024
The India Skills Report 2024 by Wheebox forecasts that India's AI industry will reach USD 28.8 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 45 per cent. The AI-skilled workforce has seen a 14-fold increase from 2016 to 2023, making India a top five fastest-growing AI talent hub.
According to Dr. Kathiravan Kannan, Director, SRM Group of Institutions, the surge in demand for AI professionals stems from technological progress. SRM Institute of Science and Technology offers interdisciplinary programs to bridge emerging domains. Their academia-industry partnerships provide students with real-world exposure and global competitiveness.
Institutions are embedding research-driven curricula, industry mentorship, and global exposure into their programs. New focus areas like Extended Reality (XR), ethical AI, data visualization, and digital manufacturing are becoming foundational to modern tech education.
According to Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University, there is a growing need to foster an AI-driven innovation ecosystem by providing experiential learning opportunities. Mahindra University integrates foundational knowledge with real-world applications, empowering students to understand AI concepts while cultivating problem-solving abilities, adaptability, ethics, and emotional intelligence.