Artificial intelligence can become a powerful driver of inclusive growth in India, but only if supported by decisive action and coordinated efforts, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said on Monday at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Speaking during a session titled ‘Employability in the AI Age: Preparing for the Jobs of Tomorrow’, Nageswaran stressed that AI progress will not occur automatically and requires urgency, political will and strong state capacity.
He said, “India can become the first large society where human abundance and machine intelligence reinforce, and not undermine, each other. This will not happen by drift; this will require an urgent say. It will require political will, it will require state capacity, and it will require a clear national commitment to aligning technological adoption with mass employability. It has to be a Team India effort, including the private sector and academics, as well as policymakers. The window is still open, but it is not indefinite.”
Call for a ‘Team India’ approach
Nageswaran urged a coordinated national response involving government, private sector, academia and policymakers. He emphasised that AI adoption must support large-scale job creation and inclusive development rather than lead to disruption. He warned that unchecked technological change could create social and economic instability if not managed carefully.
Education and skills at the core
Highlighting the need for reforms, he said it must begin by strengthening foundational education and improving how skills are taught. “For India, this is not a debate about the future of work; it is a decision about the future of growth, social stability, and cohesion. We must act, and act now. The first step begins with the reform of our education, pedagogy, and the teaching and imparting of foundational skills. That is where the path to co-creating prosperity with AI and employability in the age of AI begins, and that is where the path begins,” he said.
He added that itshould strengthen its education base, scale high-quality skill development, expand labour-intensive service sectors and remove regulatory barriers that slow job creation.
About the India AI Impact Summit 2026
The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is the 1st global AI summit hosted in the Global South. It builds on earlier international gatherings such as the UK AI Safety Summit, the AI Seoul Summit, the France AI Action Summit and the Global AI Summit on Africa. The event focuses on moving beyond discussions toward practical cooperation, defined goals and measurable outcomes in global AI governance.
The summit aims to ensure AI supports inclusive growth, innovation and social progress while addressing risks such as job disruption, bias and rising energy consumption.
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