Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to become a major growth engine for India’s economy, with a new joint study by the IBM Institute for Business Value and IndiaAI projecting that AI could contribute more than $500 billion to India’s economy by 2030. The report, titled “From Promise to Power: How AI is Redefining India’s Economic Future,” said 80 per cent of Indian business leaders believe AI investments will directly shape the nation’s GDP growth, while 73 per cent expect India to emerge as a leading global AI nation by the end of the decade. However, 72 per cent of organizations surveyed admitted they remain behind global peers in AI adoption.
Speaking at the launch, MeitY Secretary Shri S Krishnan said India is helping shape the global AI landscape through a human-centric and trusted approach aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. IBM India & South Asia Managing Director Sandip Patel said trusted AI systems, hybrid cloud infrastructure, skilled workforce and strong governance would determine India’s long-term AI success. The study also highlighted major challenges, including uneven data quality, shortage of secure cloud infrastructure and widening AI skills gaps. According to the findings, India may require more than 350 million AI-skilled professionals by 2030, while only about 30 per cent of employees currently possess the required AI literacy levels.
In Kolkata, the city’s growing IT, fintech and startup ecosystem could gain significantly from the AI-led economic shift. Technology firms and educational institutions in Kolkata are increasingly investing in AI training, cloud computing and data analytics, positioning the eastern market as an emerging hub for AI-driven business transformation in India.
