At the Tata AI Conclave, held alongside the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and powered by CNBC-TV18, Prof Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Director of Indian Institute of Technology Madras, delivered a timely and necessary reminder: AI upskilling cannot be superficial.
AI Awareness through- IIT Madras
India is projected to face a shortfall of nearly one million AI professionals in the coming years. The urgency to bridge this gap has sparked a surge in short-term courses, bootcamps, and rapid certifications. But Prof Veezhinathan cautioned against confusing speed with substance.
“Within two days of practising yoga, you can’t say you are a yogi,” he remarked a powerful analogy that cuts through the hype. True AI mastery, he stressed, demands strong foundations in mathematics, probability, and statistics. Without this depth, learners risk becoming tool users rather than problem solvers.
Importantly, the conversation wasn’t about exclusivity it was about integrity in education.
IIT Madras is already demonstrating what inclusive AI learning can look like. More than 50,000 learners, ranging from 17 to 81 years of age, are actively participating in AI programs. This wide age range signals something profound: AI is not just for engineers or recent graduates. It is a cross-generational opportunity.
But scale must be matched with depth.
Beyond technical competence, Prof Veezhinathan underscored another critical pillar ethics. AI systems may be mathematical at their core, but society functions on trust. Without values-based education, even the most advanced AI capabilities risk eroding public confidence.
This perspective aligns closely with India’s broader ambition of building a developed nation by 2047 under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Economic growth driven by AI will not be sustainable unless it is anchored in responsibility, fairness, and human judgment.
The larger takeaway is both reassuring and challenging: AI will not eliminate jobs it will transform them. Roles will evolve. Skills will shift. Expectations will rise.
The real question is whether we are preparing our workforce accordingly.
AI awareness is rising rapidly. Conversations are louder. Headlines are bolder. Certifications are multiplying.
But capability real, foundational, ethical capability requires patience, rigor, and character.
If India is to truly lead in the AI era, we must build competence, character, and capability together. Because in the race toward an AI-powered future, depth not just speed will define who truly advances of AI awareness.
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