Only 25 percent of Indian companies believe their workforce is adequately prepared to leverage artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new report by Kyndryl. The figure represents a 12-percentage-point decline from 2025, even as AI adoption continues to accelerate across businesses. The report found that 56 percent of Indian organisations have broadly deployed AI or integrated it into their core business processes.
The study also revealed a growing gap between AI adoption and workforce readiness. Around 81 percent of business leaders expressed concern that AI advancements are progressing faster than employee skills, governance frameworks, and operating models. While 84 percent of organisations expect autonomous AI systems to make significant business decisions within the next year, only 28 percent said they fully trust AI to operate without human oversight.
Despite these concerns, companies are taking steps to prepare for AI-driven transformation. Nearly 69 percent of organisations have redesigned job roles to support AI adoption, while 33 percent have allocated formal budgets and launched structured upskilling programmes. The report emphasised that long-term AI success will depend not only on technology adoption but also on workforce development, organisational restructuring, and the establishment of strong governance frameworks to ensure responsible and trusted use of AI.
