Upgrad Skill Shift Report: The use of Artificial Intelligence in India is no longer limited to the technology industry. From simple office tasks to complex research and everyday tasks, employees are rapidly increasing their use of AI tools. However, a recent report presents a new and eye-opening view of India’s AI journey, showing that a huge gap still exists between those who use AI and those who develop it.
Recently “Skill Shift – Annual Report on India’s AI Skilling” has been released. The survey, conducted among 2,075 professionals working in different sectors across various cities in India, has revealed a very clear picture of India’s future skills and employment market. According to the report, the pace of adoption of AI in the country’s workforce is very fast but there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of technological depth.
More users, but fewer creators
According to survey data, 94% of professionals are using AI tools in some way in their daily work. However, when it comes to creating new software or solutions using AI, this figure hits the bottom. Only 26% have attempted to innovate by integrating AI with other third-party tools or APIs. Even more worryingly, only 20% have the ability to develop AI-powered automation, applications or independent AI agents for themselves or their company. This shows that we are ahead in command and execution, but still behind in building new technology from the ground up.
Importance of formal education and upskilling
The report emphasizes that people who have formally studied AI or participated in upskilling programs have a greater ability to create AI agents and new software. 27% of learners who received formal training succeeded in building AI agents, compared to only 10% of the group who received no training. That is, someone with proper training is 2.7 times more likely to develop the latest AI tools.
AI education becomes indispensable in career building
Today’s workforce is well aware of future needs. 87% of the professionals surveyed admitted that they have either enrolled in an AI course, or are planning to learn AI soon. Knowledge of AI is no longer just an additional skill, but has become an indispensable qualification for career planning and promotion.
Experienced professionals ahead of young people in education
It is generally believed that new technologies are adopted by the youth or freshers quickly, but this report has revealed a shocking revelation. According to the report, 31% of senior professionals with more than 8 years of experience spend at least 3 hours per week learning AI. In contrast, only 15% freshers who are starting their careers devote so much time to AI education. This proves that experienced employees are more serious about keeping themselves relevant in the market.
The true challenge of the future: turning users into creators
India is rapidly moving beyond the primary phase of AI. The next real challenge is to empower employees to become ‘AI builders’ who do real coding, automation and product development, rather than simply having AI users do typing or copy-paste tasks. In the future, it will not be enough to just know how to use AI, but the ability to solve complex problems by integrating AI with other systems will keep the Indian IT and tech workforce at the forefront globally.