Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran on Monday said AI adoption cannot just happen by drift and requires a clear commitment to aligning technological adoption with mass employability.
In a virtual address during the AI Impact Summit 2026, Nageswaran said countries need to move decisively by strengthening foundation of education, high quality skills, expanding labour-intensive service sectors and removing the regulatory bottlenecks.
Adopting AI requires a collaborative approach, he said, adding that it has to be a “Team India” effort, including the private sector and academics, as well as policymakers. “The window is open still, but it is not indefinite. We must act and act now,” he said, adding that there is a need for urgency to adopt AI.
“For India, it is not a debate about the future of work, it is a decision about the future of growth and social stability. With foresight, institutional discipline and relentless execution, India can become the first large society to demonstrate true human abundance,” Nageswaran said.
He said that while millions of jobs are created annually, a significant skill gap persists and only a small proportion of workforce has received formal skill training. "This gap is not just statistics, it's a structural vulnerability,” Nageswaran said.
To address this vulnerability, he suggested a decisive shift in policy focus. “This will not happen by drift. It will require urgency, it will require political will, it will require state capacity and a commitment to technology adoption with mass employability,” he added.
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