AI adoption rises, but only 25% of organisations say workforce ready in India: Kyndryl study
Only 25% of the surveyed Indian organisations say their workforce is fully ready for artificial intelligence (AI), reflecting a 12-point decline from year-on-year, according to the People Readiness Report released by IT services firm Kyndryl on Tuesday.
“The findings show a widening gap between AI ambitions and workforce readiness,” Kyndryl said, noting that organisations continue to grapple with the challenge of equipping employees with the skills and capabilities required to thrive in an AI-driven environment.
8% of Indian leaders are concerned that AI advancement will outpace their workforce capabilities, governance frameworks and operating models, according to Kyndryl.
56% of Indian organisations said AI is deployed broadly or embedded in core business processes, compared to just 36% last year, the study further found.
The findings come as companies accelerate AI adoption and invest heavily to realize value at scale. Gartner recently found that the worldwide spending on AI is forecast to total $2.52 trillion in 2026, a 44% increase year-over-year.
“This is a critical moment for global enterprises as they race to adopt AI, redesign workflows and pursue innovation, yet they’re finding that their greatest assets – their people – need more attention,” said Kim Basile, CIO, Kyndryl.
Basile added the research shows that organisations that are investing in people are experiencing “positive outcomes at a much higher rate”.
“AI’s ability to reshape work is challenging organisations to reshape their workforce more rapidly than ever before,” said Mark Paulek, chief human resources officer, Kyndryl. “The leaders pulling ahead are aligning skills, roles and decision-making with how work is actually changing. When people understand their role in that system, trust and performance scale together.”
The findings are based on a global study of 1,100 senior business and technology leaders across eight countries, including India, said Kyndryl.
