Union Ministry of Electronics & IT’s report, India’s AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat, predicts that by 2026, there will be a significant increase in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) professionals in India, with a million skilled workers expected to be needed.
Higher education, especially in engineering, is experiencing a radical transformation to meet the demands of a fast changing labor market molded by AI, automation, and multidisciplinary innovation, as the nation strives to become a USD 23–USD 35 trillion economy by 2047.
The core of this change is engineering education. The number of authorized B. Tech seats for the 2024–25 academic year has increased to 14.9 lakh, a roughly 16 percent increase over the previous four years, according to the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Strong industry demand is shown in the more than 50% increase in seats for computer science and related fields including AI/ML, data science, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and blockchain, which is primarily responsible for this expansion.
In order to develop a new generation of engineers capable of coding, creating, collaborating, and spearheading innovation, India’s tech education system is progressively adopting multidisciplinary and industry-integrated learning.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is giving way to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and the arts), which combines technical expertise with design thinking, communication, psychology, law, and business.
The establishment of the Symbiosis Artificial Intelligence Institute (SAII), an institute dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), was recently announced by Symbiosis International (Deemed University). The institution claims that SAII will incorporate state-of-the-art AI into research and academic programs.
“By embracing AI, we are not just keeping pace with global innovation but also empowering our students to become responsible innovators and problem-solvers who will shape the future. Curriculum at Symbiosis combines strong theoretical foundations with real-world applications from day one, creating a dynamic ecosystem that fosters both technical depth and interdisciplinary breadth. And this reflects in programs offered by our Symbiosis Dubai campus. Both B. Tech and BCA integrate AI in specialisations enforcing learning and development and preparing students for the future,” said Amruta Yeravdekar Ruikar, Head of International Admissions & Promotions, Symbiosis International University.
According to Wheebox’s India Skills Report 2024, the country’s AI market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45% to reach USD 28.8 billion by 2025. India is among the top five fastest-growing AI talent centers, along with Singapore, Finland, Ireland, and Canada, according to the survey, which also notes that the number of people with AI skills increased 14-fold between 2016 and 2023.
“The surge in demand for AI professionals’ stems from rapid technological progress. As AI reshapes productivity, operations, and innovation, preparing a future-ready workforce is imperative. At SRM Institute of Science and Technology, we offer interdisciplinary programs in areas like Medical Engineering, ECE with Data science, Biotechnology (Food Technology) and AI-ML Embedded Systems to bridge emerging domains. Our strong academia-industry partnerships provide students with real-world exposure and global competitiveness,” according to Dr. Kathiravan Kannan, Director, SRM Group of Institutions, Ramapuram, Chennai and Tiruchirappalli.
As more and more universities include industry mentoring, research-driven curriculum, and international exposure into their programs, this multidisciplinary impetus is becoming a national trend. Modern tech education is starting to build on new priority areas including digital manufacturing, data visualization, ethical AI, and extended reality (XR).
According to Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University, “We see a growing need to foster an innovation ecosystem driven by AI, for today’s youth by providing experiential learning opportunities such as internships, global immersion programmes, and research initiatives. At Mahindra University, we believe academic excellence is achieved when rigorous foundational knowledge is seamlessly integrated with real-world applications. Our multidisciplinary approach empowers students to understand the technical concepts of AI while also cultivating critical problem-solving abilities, adaptability, ethics and emotional intelligence.”
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
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