Human Capital as the Pillar of India's AI Journey

Prof TG Sitharam emphasises the need to empower its workforce through skilling, education, and development to create a skilled talent pool and ensure AI serves humanity's diverse needs

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India is set to host the 2nd Global AI Impact Summit in February 2026 at Bharat Mandappam, New Delhi. How significant is this event?

Hugely significant. The first edition was held in Paris, and it set the tone for global collaboration in Artificial Intelligence. For India to host the second summit, inaugurated by our Hon'ble Prime Minister, is both a recognition of our capabilities and a call to action. It signals that India is ready to step forward not only as a participant but as a thought leader in the global AI ecosystem.

You are chairing the Human Capital Chakra of the Summit. Could you explain why it is considered the central pillar among the seven chakras?

Absolutely. The seven chakras of the Summit; trust, inclusion, resilience, science, democratization, economic growth, and human capital; are all interlinked. But human capital is the anchor. AI is not just about machines, algorithms, or policies. It is about people; the students, the teachers, the researchers, the workforce, the policymakers. Without empowering people to understand, adopt, and innovate with AI, the other chakras remain incomplete. In that sense, human capital is the root system that nourishes the entire tree of AI nation-building.

What does this mean in practical terms for India's education and skilling ecosystem?