Addressing AI skill gap shouldn’t be an afterthought, says MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar

New Delhi: There is a significant gap in talent to fulfil the emerging needs of industries looking to leverage artificial intelligence, Minister of State for Information Technology and Skill Development Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday, speaking at the second day of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit in New Delhi.

Bridging this gap between a skilled workforce and industry requirements will require a collaborative effort between the government, academic institutions and technology-focused companies, which will need to transcend geographical borders across international academic networks and industries, he added.

“It is clear that there is going to be a huge talent deficit in the field of AI. There is an urgent need for our academic institutions, whether in the UK, Japan or India, to really understand this and start delivering the talent that this AI ecosystem will require,” the minister highlighted.

Building the talent pipeline required to address AI skill gaps would require academic institutions to realign their curriculum in line with current industry requirements, going beyond what is being offered to students looking to enter the technology workforce.

“I'm talking about real cutting-edge architects of models, designers of models," Chandrasekhar said, adding that course offerings need to go beyond basic coding skills and undertake training in the complex requirements of the emerging technology.

He also urged stakeholders to exercise urgency in curating skilling, upskilling and reskilling programs to build AI capabilities in the workforce, highlighting the importance of proactively working towards fulfilling future needs.

Adding to the minister’s remarks, Viscount Jonathan Camrose, UK’s Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, said academic institutions face a significant cash crunch to build capabilities for capital intensive technologies like AI.

"If left unchecked, it'll only create a larger divide between the skills that the industry needs and the skills that academic institutions can provide,” he said.