Universities must enable students to stay competitive in the AI era

There is a number worth sitting with for a moment. Despite leading the world in Generative AI course enrolments, India ranks 89th out of 109 countries in actual AI skills proficiency, according to the Coursera Global Skills Report 2025. Not 89th in access. Not 89th in enthusiasm. 89th in the thing that actually matters when a young person walks into a job interview. The hunger to learn is everywhere. But the readiness to perform, that is a different story entirely.

The India Skills Report 2026 sharpens the point: Despite having a formal degree, nearly half of all graduates still lack fundamental job preparedness, with national employability standing at just over 56%.