NEW DELHI: Around 90% of India’s early-career technology professionals are either native to or proficient in using artificial intelligence (AI), according to a report by Nasscom. The findings highlight a critical component for enterprise AI adoption, even though the broader rollout of AI has fallen short of expectations over the last few years.
The study assessed AI-native capabilities across 11 specific parameters, including AI reliance, proficiency, alignment, creation, decision-making, cognitive independence, technical understanding, learning, foundational ability, AI-augmented productivity, and responsible AI usage. The survey respondents included final-year engineering students from computer science and related streams, as well as tech professionals with up to three years of work experience.
Establishing a baseline for how India’s future tech workforce is embracing an AI-first world, the index recorded an overall score of 62. This score will serve as a benchmark to monitor workforce development in the coming years.
The report noted that AI-native capability remains uneven across different dimensions. India’s early-career tech talent demonstrates relative strength in AI decision-making, foundational ability, and the responsible use of AI. However, a significant capability gap emerges in AI systems and technical foundations. According to the findings, while the adoption of AI has become widespread, building deep engineering capability is the necessary next step.
Within the assessed talent pool, AI proficiency stood at 68%, while AI-native capability was at 23%. The report suggests that the next big challenge is no longer about adopting AI, but rather transitioning rapidly from AI proficiency to becoming AI-native through better engineering understanding, alignment, and technical depth.
