India must boost AI education or risk falling behind, warns NITI Aayog

Hyderabad: India risks falling behind in the global race for artificial intelligence talent unless it urgently strengthens its academic and research ecosystem, warns the latest NITI Aayog report on AI job creation. Despite growing interest in AI, the country currently produces fewer than 500 AI-related PhDs annually, far below leaders like China and the US.

The report highlights a critical gap in the academic pipeline for AI. Most degree programmes are concentrated in a handful of top-tier institutions, leaving the majority of engineering and science colleges without dedicated AI departments or curricula.