From classrooms to careers, human capital takes centre stage in India’s AI push

NEW DELHI: From retooling classrooms to future-proofing jobs, India’s artificial intelligence strategy is decisively shifting towards people-first reform. Senior policymakers, academic leaders and industry experts on Monday flagged lifelong learning, human augmentation and inclusive skilling as central to India’s AI journey at a high-level Human Capital Working Group meeting hosted at IIT Guwahati.The two-day meeting (January 5–6), jointly organised by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), the IndiaAI Mission, the Assam government and IIT Guwahati, is expected to shape policy inputs for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 scheduled in New Delhi next month. Chaired by Prof T G Sitharam, the deliberations focused on education reform, workforce transition and responsible, human-centric AI adoption as India prepares for large-scale economic and social disruption.Speakers across government and academia cautioned against narrow, fragmented skilling models and called for a shift towards lifelong learning ecosystems. “The transition to an AI-enabled economy must be inclusive and people-centric,” Sitharam said, stressing that technological progress must translate into dignity, opportunity and resilience for workers.IndiaAI joint director Shikha Dahiya said outcomes from the Guwahati deliberations would directly inform global-level discussions at the summit, with a focus on democratising AI resources, building indigenous models and amplifying Global South perspectives. Assam officials highlighted the risks of unchecked automation, urging policymakers to prioritise human augmentation over replacement and expand AI literacy as a public capability.Day one featured a keynote on democratising competency in the age of AI and panel discussions on gender-responsive AI strategies and redefining education for the cognitive age, flagging risks of widening inequality if policy responses lag technological change.The meeting will conclude on Monday with consolidated recommendations expected to feed into India’s national AI human capital roadmap aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047.