Microsoft to train 2M people in India with AI skills
Microsoft will impart AI skills to around two million people in India by 2025, CEO Satya Nadella said on Wednesday as part of his two-day visit. He stressed the importance of upskilling the workforce for them to succeed in the new age and generate jobs. The Microsoft boss added that it is imperative for India and the US to cooperate on AI norms and regulations. Nadella believes such cooperation can lead to a more equitable distribution of economic growth.
AI's potential to drive economic growth in India
With India's GDP predicted to hit $5 trillion by 2025, Nadella emphasized the significance of investing in AI for future expansion. "Definitely today this (India) is the highest growth market. You can see the buoyancy of it," he said. "The government and all of you have high ambitions of what's going to happen by 2025 and what percentage of that growth is going to be driven by AI." He also expressed excitement about adoption of AI technologies in India.
Nadella underscored the importance of investing in AI
"In the United Kingdom, during the height of the Industrial Revolution, they spent 10% of GDP on the railroad system and the rest is history," Nadella said. "When you have a new general-purpose technology, how intensely you invest and deploy cross-sectorally inside an economy, I think, makes a difference to a country's prospects going forward." Microsoft's skilling program will focus on training individuals in India's tier-2 and tier-3 cities as well as rural areas.
