Microsoft to train 2 million people in AI skills in India

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella advocates for active investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI), emphasising India’s potential to utilise AI for economic growth during his visit to the country.
• Nadella aims to address the shortage of AI talent in India by training two million individuals in AI skills across urban and rural areas, highlighting the transformative impact AI could have on the country’s GDP.
• He underscores the importance of collaboration between India and the United States in AI regulation and governance, while also emphasising the diverse investment opportunities AI presents in various domains.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is urging countries to invest actively in Artificial Intelligence (AI). On Wednesday, February 7th, he expressed in India that the nation has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage this technology for economic growth. As an Indian native, Nadella met with numerous industry leaders in his birthplace to emphasise the rapid proliferation of AI, a technology Microsoft has been advancing through its software products.

With India striving to become a key battleground for AI competition and facing a shortage of AI talent despite having over five million programmers, Nadella envisions Microsoft training two million individuals in AI skills across urban and rural areas to drive inclusive socioeconomic progress. He stated that this new skill set would impact the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and contribute to economic growth, emphasising the potential for AI to foster ‘inclusive distribution of economic growth’ globally.

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The need for collaboration between India and the US

Nadella also highlighted the need for collaboration between India and the United States in AI regulation and governance, expressing hope for consensus to facilitate the technology’s dissemination. Various investment opportunities exist across AI-related domains, including quantum computing, climate change, and scientific research, with Nadella likening AI models to ‘factories of the world.’

Nadella has led Microsoft since February 2014, guiding the company to become the world’s most valuable company in the past decade, with its stock price increasing by 1000%. Microsoft has previously made significant investments in India, employing over 23,000 staff in tech hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad, and pledged last year to train 100,000 developers in using the latest AI tools and technologies.