Gen AI adoption in India nearly universal, but training alone unlikely to bridge skills gap, says AWS survey

98% of organisations in India are using Generative AI tools, per a report
| Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal

98% of organisations in India are using Generative AI tools and most are developing Gen AI training plans, but there is a limited understanding of employees’ skilling needs, according to a study commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in collaboration with Access Partnership.

The study that surveyed 415 senior IT decision-makers in India across industries noted that 83% of organisations in India have appointed a dedicated AI executive, usually a Chief AI Officer (CAIO), to focus on adoption and implementation. Another 15% are planning to do so by 2026, according to the survey.

However, the surveyed IT decision makers cited challenges such as limited understanding of employees’ Gen AI skilling needs, uncertainty about effective implementation, and budget limitations.

“Given these limitations, training alone is unlikely to bridge the skills gap,” noted AWS in a press note.

Even so, Generative AI talent is expected to be in widespread demand in almost all organisations in India, per the survey.

AWS shared it had launched a Generative AI Innovation Center through a $100 million investment in order to help organisations access AWS AI expertise and experts through free workshops and training.

AWS previously said it planned to invest $12.7 billion into cloud infrastructure in India by 2030. Between 2016 and 2022, AWS invested $3.71 billion in India.

“We see a growing recognition of AI as a transformative technology that requires strategic leadership at the highest levels and a structured approach to change management,” said Satinder Pal Singh, Head of Solution Architecture, AWS India and South Asia, as he highlighted AWS’ “long-standing commitment to India.”