IBM chief says India needs massive re-skilling for AI race
India’s path to becoming a global artificial intelligence superpower hinges on an urgent, coordinated effort by tech firms, universities, and the government to completely re-skill its workforce, according to a top IBM executive.
Speaking at a summit in Bengaluru on Monday, Sandip Patel, Managing Director of IBM India, emphasized that while AI poses a threat to traditional software jobs, India’s massive young population offers an unparalleled competitive edge if managed correctly, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
"That demographic dividend that's sitting here—unleashing that is a phenomenal opportunity," Patel stated, pointing out that more than half of India’s 1.4 billion people are under the age of 30. "You will be at a 350 million AI-trained workforce that can be deployed not just here, but can be doing work around the world."
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The shift is critical as automated AI tools increasingly threaten routine coding and tech support—the very foundations of India’s multi-billion-dollar global IT outsourcing sector. Currently, IBM estimates that only about 30% of India's available technology workforce possesses the specific AI skills required by modern businesses.
To help close this gap, IBM is partnering directly with the Indian government on various training initiatives, building on its December pledge to skill 5 million people across India in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing by 2030.
The IP Hurdle: Beyond technical training, Patel warned that India must modernize its legal framework to truly monetize its tech innovation. He stressed the need for much stronger intellectual property (IP) protections so that local developers and international corporations have absolute legal certainty that software created in India remains commercially viable across borders.
To tap into fresh, unsaturated talent pools, IBM is actively expanding beyond traditional Indian tech capitals like Bengaluru. Patel noted that the company's workforce in the tier-two city of Kochi has rapidly scaled to nearly 4,000 employees in just two years, alongside a new corporate expansion into Lucknow.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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