Microsoft To Train 2 Mn Indians In AI By 2025

Microsoft plans to train more 2 Mn Indians on artificial intelligence (AI) by 2025, according to the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Satya Nadella.

The company will impart AI skilling opportunities and training to individuals in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, as well as rural areas. The company said that the move will unlock inclusive socio-economic progress in the country. 

“Microsoft unveiled a significant skilling initiative in India, aiming to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2025. The ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative is part of Microsoft’s Skills for Jobs program, which is designed to empower India’s workforce with future-ready skills,” said the company in a statement.

The Indian-origin CEO of Microsoft made the announcement while delivering a keynote address in Mumbai on the first leg of his annual India visit.

The company said that the plan will be executed in partnerships with governments, nonprofit and corporate organisations and communities. 

Under the initiative, it will partner the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and 10 state governments to impart basic and advanced AI training to 5 Lakh students and job seekers. Another 1 Lakh women will be trained in “in-depth AI technical skills training” in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

The company also said that an additional 4 Lakh students in the country’s remote and tribal regions will be trained to raise awareness on responsible AI use and AI-enabled careers.

Under the company’s existing partnership with the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, Microsoft will also train 2.5 Lakh government officers on ‘essential knowledge’ of GenAI. 

“This partnership will help enhance the productivity of government officers and transform digital governance in rural India. It will also build capabilities for investments in the next generation of AI-enabled citizen services, meeting citizens where they are located,” said the company in a statement. 

Another 7.5 Lakh Indians will be trained in AI fluency and technical skills as part of the US-based company’s upcoming Nonprofit Leaders Summit slated in April 2024. 

Meanwhile, the Microsoft CEO also reportedly urged both India and US authorities to build consensus and cooperate on framing norms to regulate the AI space. 

“I hope consensus (on framing AI rules) emerges and that is what really helps, in some sense, (with) the diffusion of this technology,” Nadella was quoted as saying by Reuters. He further added that this diffusion of AI globally would lead to “equal distribution of economic growth”.

Reacting to concerns about job losses on account of AI-led automation, Nadella, at a different event, said that India possessed both the policy and the tools to effectively manage the transition to AI in a positive manner. 

The development comes at a time when AI, especially generative AI, has become the flavour of the season among investors. VCs and PEs are bullish about the emerging technology owing to its wide use-cases and applications. 

As per Inc42 data, India is home to more than 70 generative AI startups that have raised more than $440 Mn since 2019. 

Powering the nascent ecosystem is the small but growing AI talent pool in the country. As per a report, AI will necessitate the reskilling and upskilling of 16.2 Mn workers in India by 2027, and could 4.7 Mn new tech jobs in the country during the same period.