India must attract experienced AI talent, start training early to build future-ready workforce, says Economic Survey

Economic survey

• India urged to attract AI experts to train next-gen talent, Economic Survey says
• Training in AI should start early, at high school or university level
• Universities need flexibility to adapt courses to industry needs and tech trends

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India must actively attract professionals who have worked on large artificial intelligence models and deploy them to train the next generation of talent, the Economic Survey has said, underlining the need to align the country's AI workforce with global standards.

“India must endeavour to attract people who have worked on large models and, in turn, have those with experience train others,” the survey released on January 29, said, stressing that hands-on exposure to frontier AI systems is critical for building a competitive talent base.

The survey also said training must begin early and cannot remain limited to postgraduate or specialised programmes.

“To build talent that is in tune with industry needs, training must begin early, preferably at the high school or university level, in collaboration with the private sector,” it said. It added that universities should have the freedom to curate and offer courses based on industry requirements and students’ aptitudes.

“Flexibility is the key to building capable talent in India,” the survey said, pointing to the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 as a foundational reform. It said the proposed legislation represents “an essential first step” in giving higher education institutions the autonomy to adapt their curricula in line with rapidly evolving technology trends.

“As the floor for what is considered a fundamental skill shifts with every technological revolution, the passage of the bill will afford our higher education system the freedom to keep pace with the evolving world,” the survey said.

The document also called for a rethink of how policymakers define formal education and work experience. “Now is the time for policies to reevaluate what constitutes ‘formal education’ and what constitutes ‘work experience’,” it said, noting that the traditional separation between classrooms and industry exposure may no longer work in an AI-driven economy.

India already has enabling frameworks in place to support such changes, the survey said.

“With the National Education Policy 2020’s Multiple Entry Multiple Exit provisions, the Academic Bank of Credits, and the National Credit Framework, India has the policy infrastructure in place to make this vision real,” it added.