There has been a rising demand for Artificial Intelligence and data science knowledge in India. To meet this demand of the nation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has planned to bring inAI courses into the education system. It has plans that will incorporate AI courses in the educational curriculum.

Starting from Class 6, these AI courses will begin at school level. A comprehensive curriculum has been developed and drafted under the ‘National Programme on Artificial Intelligence Skilling Framework’ by a committee. This will ensure that students nationwide are adequately equipped for AI education. It is expected that the demand for Artificial Intelligence/Data Science professionals in India will exceed 1 million by 2024.

According to the committee’s report in June 2023, there is a necessity of introducing AI education at various levels within the educational system. In order to guarantee a uniform approach to AI education across the country, these courses will be in line with both the National Credit Framework and the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework.

The group recommended that at least 10% of the course time be devoted to ethical issues, highlighting the significance of ethical considerations in AI education. This strategy places a strong emphasis on openness, equity, and privacy in order to encourage the responsible development and application of AI systems.

The paper emphasises the significance of flexible course development in order to stay up with the quickly changing field of artificial intelligence. It recommends developing more compact modules, such micro-credentials, in order to keep up with technology improvements. The duty of creating policies and standards for AI education has fallen to regulatory organisations, such as the University Grants Commission, the All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Vocational Education and Training. The University Grants Commission’s website, http://www.ugc.gov.in, has the reports available for viewing.

There is a 51 percent gap between the supply and demand for AI and disruptive technology skills, according to a recent NASSCOM survey, which has prompted the creation of AI courses in undergraduate programmes and educational institutions. The curriculum, which is age-appropriate and has been meticulously designed, includes programming, data management, machine learning, ethics, and basic AI ideas.

The report also suggests faculty development initiatives to improve instructors’ comprehension of AI principles and pedagogy.

Current status: AI skilling

There are now a number of AI skill classes accessible, and more are always being created. Courses are provided by organisations like Future Skills Prime (managed by the NASSCOM Sector Skill Council), NPTEL, the Centre of Advanced Studies (CDAC), and NIELIT under the government’s skill development network. In addition to being offered to students at the school level, several of these courses are also available through AICTE-accredited colleges.

The AI assessments are to be categorised into four groups:

Knowledge-based assessments: Multiple-choice questions and automatically scored interactive environments are expected components of these assessments. These tests will be created by subject matter experts (SMEs) in accordance with sound assessment design guidelines. Administrator training is required for proctors in order to facilitate these examinations. Depending on the needs, these tests can be administered in formative or summative formats.

Application-based assessments: Undergraduate or college students will administer these tests, and college faculty members will evaluate the results in conjunction with business partners who will set uniform standards and evaluation criteria. The assessors themselves will be trained by professionals in the field or in compliance with institutional guidelines.

Industry certifications: The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or the industry will determine the standards that these evaluations will adhere to.

Projects, hackathons, and internships: These assessments, which will involve particular initiatives that are in line with the project objectives and be led by the industry, will make training necessary in order to meet those objectives.