The industry organization Nasscom has warned that India risks developing a technological workforce that is merely dependent on artificial intelligence rather than truly inherent, unless the industry and academic circles can maintain deep engineering expertise.
Risks and India's Positioning
Although over 90 percent of young technology specialists in the country already use artificial intelligence, the leading industry body cautioned that the reduction in routine coding should not lead to the weakening of fundamental technical competencies.
Nasscom emphasized that India has unique opportunities to become a global hub of talent possessing native AI skills. However, the organization noted that having AI skills is different from being a truly native AI user, and there is a risk of creating a workforce that depends on AI rather than being inherent to it.
Requirements for Education and Industry
Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President and Strategy Director at Nasscom, stated that 'academia must strengthen the fundamentals, while industry must revise adaptation and mentorship processes to ensure that the reduction of routine work does not lead to a decline in deep engineering expertise.'
On Tuesday, Nasscom released its first report titled 'The State of AI-Native Talent in India.' This report serves as a structured industry benchmark for assessing AI capabilities among young technology professionals with up to three years of experience, including final-year engineering students.
Research Findings and Conclusions
According to the study, while approximately two-thirds of India's youth are 'competent in using AI,' only 23 percent meet the criteria for an 'AI-native user.' Nevertheless, the report pointed to significant potential for deepening this talent pool by strengthening technical depth and engineering judgment.
The research showed that while AI clearly increases productivity and learning speed, it also automates routine tasks through which junior engineers traditionally acquired their basic knowledge. Consequently, Nasscom believes that organizations and educational institutions need to 'consciously recreate opportunities' for engineers to develop independent judgment and orchestration skills that were previously gained through practical experience.
Recommendations for Workforce Development
To bridge this gap, Nasscom strongly urged academia and industry to move beyond traditional programming education. The organization advised that 'academia should move away from coding to strengthen engineering judgment, subject matter expertise, and rethink assessment methods, while industry should revise its approach to building foundational capabilities, deepening mentorship, creating opportunities for independent problem-solving, integrating AI verification into workflows, and continuously upskilling young professionals.'
For the IT industry, this transition will require a revision of long-established operational models. The industry body stated that hiring procedures must shift focus from testing basic coding knowledge to assessing complex native AI capabilities. Furthermore, companies must overhaul the competency building process by incorporating foundational AI training, simulation exercises, and multi-level mentorship to encourage independent problem-solving among young professionals.
