New Delhi, February 13 With the global AI landscape evolving at an unprecedented pace, and countries racing to upskill their workforce to remain competitive in the AI-driven economy, India has intensified its efforts to build AI literacy and practical skills across various sectors, aiming to equip its workforce not just to adopt but actively shape the AI-driven future.
Leading Indian institutes are expanding AI education to build a future-ready workforce. Top technical and management schools – from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), the Indian School of Business (ISB), and other leading universities – have launched specialized AI courses, certifications, and executive programs.
These initiatives focus on advanced machine learning, generative AI, and practical applications in industry, catering to both students and working professionals. By combining cutting-edge research with applied learning, these institutes are helping India create a pool of skilled AI professionals capable of meeting domestic and global technology demands.
Among these initiatives, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan has introduced a grassroots program, "Certificate in Bharatiya/Indic Artificial Intelligence and AI4Bharat," in partnership with AI4aBillion.ai and reArmenia Academy. The course offers introductory AI education in Hinglish, covering practical applications such as AI-driven content creation, low-code tools, and process automation over 20 weekend sessions.
K Siva Prasad, Director of BVB Delhi Kendra, highlighted the program's social intent, affordability (Rs 8,000), and inclusivity with an "Age No Bar" policy.
Faculty chair Rohit Bansal teaches the course free of charge.
Prasad emphasized that while global platforms like the AI Impact Summit 2026 shape high-level discourse, grassroots initiatives like this are critical to preparing India's workforce to actively participate in and influence the AI revolution. The program aims to empower learners across sectors to use AI tools productively in communication, administration, and small enterprises.
"Artificial Intelligence is no longer a frontier technology confined to research labs or large corporations. It is rapidly becoming a foundational layer across sectors. We felt that if BVB does not intervene now at the foundational level, a vast segment of India's population could be left behind," Prasad said.
He noted that while India has made strides in digital public infrastructure, AI literacy at the bottom of the pyramid remains limited.
"There is a visible gap between high-end AI research and everyday AI literacy. Our program attempts to bridge that divide by starting with first principles, demystifying AI concepts, and making them accessible in language and context that ordinary learners can relate to," he said.
The course is priced at Rs 8,000 over 20 classes on weekdays to remain accessible, and is designed with an "Age No Bar" policy to encourage wide adoption. This comprises 10 core sessions on Saturdays and 10 "reflection sessions" on Sundays, the latter conducted specifically in Hinglish to break the language barrier.
"We are not positioning this as a technical coding bootcamp," Prasad explained. "The emphasis is on conceptual clarity and practical understanding. Learners understand how to use leading tools like Gemini, Claude, and Nano Banana for visuals to generate real-world outputs."
The curriculum moves beyond theory, covering practical modules such as "Landing Pages With 0 Code" using tools like Lovable, video creation with Veo, and process automation via Make.com.
"The pedagogy is structured to move from awareness to application," Prasad added.
"Participants are shown how AI tools can be used productively in domains such as communication, administration, and small enterprises. This ensures that learning is not abstract but anchored in everyday utility."
Prasad underlined that what distinguishes the program is its social intent and collaborative model.
"This is an honorary, gratis social initiative in partnership with ai4abillion.ai and reArmenia Academy," he said, noting that faculty chair Rohit Bansal is teaching "gratis as a societal initiative. The focus is scale, affordability, and accessibility".
With India set to host the AI Impact Summit 2026, billed as the largest global AI summit in the Global South, Prasad said such platforms can reinforce inclusive skilling.
"A summit of that scale can shape discourse around responsible and inclusive AI. But parallel to high-level discussions, we need ground-level capacity building. Our effort complements that larger vision by ensuring that AI literacy reaches the grassroots," he said.
"It is about preparing India not only to consume AI, but to participate in shaping its future responsibly."
