India must upskill fast to keep up with AI jobs, says new report

Bijin Jose

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As the world continues to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), India seems to be at a tipping point. A new report backed by Google.org and the Asian Development Bank has thrown light on the opportunities and challenges for one of the largest economies. Despite having the largest workforces in the world, India urgently needs to offer accessible and effective AI upskilling, according to the report ‘AI for All: Building an AI-ready Workforce in Asia-Pacific.’

The report states that AI will contribute up to USD 3 trillion to the GDP of the Asia-Pacific region by 2030. And, India, with its young and fastest-growing population, is key to this potential. The report, however, warns that the forces that could propel growth also come with the risk of widening the inequality. This is a likelihood if workers are left behind.

Further, the report revealed that administrative and support roles, such as data entry, scheduling, and customer service, are at risk considering the rapid advancement in AI-driven automation. According to the report, these roles are disproportionately performed by those from underserved communities, including women, informal workers, and those with low digital literacy. These groups contribute largely in sectors like manufacturing, textiles, and logistics. And, in the absence of focused AI skilling initiatives, these workers risk being left behind in the rapidly evolving job market.

“In countries like India, where a significant portion of the workforce is currently engaged in labor-intensive tasks such as labeling data and training AI systems, there’s a looming question about the future. As these processes become increasingly automated and sophisticated, 

what opportunities will exist for millions of people whose livelihoods depend on these roles today? Without proactive planning for reskilling and creating pathways into higher-value AI and tech-related jobs, we risk leaving large parts of the population behind in the AI revolution,” said Kelly Forbes, President & Executive Director, AI Asia Pacific Institute, Asia Pacific.