By Jayant Rastogi
India stands at a pivotal moment in its journey towards economic growth, digital transformation, and inclusive development. In the quiet corners of its villages and the bustling streets of its cities, a silent challenge emerges. The Economic Survey 2024-25 reveals a stark reality: only 8.25% of graduates find employment that matches their qualifications. This is not just a statistic; it is a heartbeat of unrealised potential, a call to action that echoes through every classroom and community. Skilling must evolve beyond traditional curriculums, weaving in transferable life and employability skills to light the path towards sustainable, meaningful careers.
As India strides toward a digital-first future under Digital India, technology is not only transforming industries but also carving new pathways to inclusion. Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just shaping the future of work; it is defining it with a promise of hope. AI has the power to personalise learning, shatter barriers of access, and create equal opportunities. In this fast-moving era, it is vital that underserved communities, those on the margins of progress, become early adopters, equipped with the tools to navigate what lies ahead.
The question that burns bright now is this: how can we harness this potential to ensure every young person, from the remotest villages to the forgotten slums, is armed with future-ready skills through inclusive approaches to skilling?
AI as an equaliser
Imagine Priya, a 17-year-old from a dusty village in Bihar, where the horizon once seemed locked by poverty. With an AI-powered offline app humming in her hands, she masters English, her voice trembling with hope as she lands her first job as a translator, breaking a generational cycle of struggle. This is the magic of AI when it meets human determination.
The Technology and Innovation Report 2025 by the UNCTAD estimates that AI could reshape up to 40% of jobs worldwide, with advanced economies feeling the shift most acutely due to their digital embrace. Yet this is not a tale of loss; it is one of opportunity. When paired with life skills like communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and financial literacy, AI becomes a lantern lighting the darkest corners of exclusion. For underserved communities, this integrated approach is a bridge to confidence and resilience, turning learners into architects of their futures rather than mere spectators of change.
Real-world relevance
Picture Raj, a visually impaired youth from Tamil Nadu, who uses voice-enabled AI to master coding. He dreams of building apps that empower his community, his fingers dancing across a keyboard guided by technology’s gentle voice. Participants like Raj simulate job-readiness scenarios with chatbots, apply translation tools in multilingual contexts, and explore prompt engineering to solve real-world challenges. This hands-on, practical learning ensures they step into the world not just ready for recruitment but poised for long-term success.
Life skills education does more than prepare them for jobs; it ignites a spark. These young minds evolve from passive consumers of content to vibrant contributors to the digital economy, gaining the confidence to thrive in dynamic work environments and uplift their communities through their progress.
Bridging the divide
Bridging India’s digital divide requires more than laying cables; it demands solutions rooted in the heartbeat of local lives. AI-powered tools that function offline and speak in Indian languages are expanding educational access for remote and non-English-speaking learners. Voice interfaces and translation features are opening doors for people with low literacy or disabilities, letting them participate meaningfully in learning.
These solutions are co-created with educators, NGOs, and state governments, ensuring cultural relevance, affordability, and scalability. The goal is not just to digitise classrooms but to democratise access to quality learning by anchoring technology in the lived experiences of underserved learners. When focused on accessibility, adaptability, and learner agency, AI becomes a bridge to equity rather than a wedge of exclusion.
Equipping facilitators
Consider Sunita, a sole mentor in a remote Rajasthan training centre, where AI eases her administrative burdens and offers data-driven insights. Yet, to fully realise this potential, facilitators like her must be trained to interpret data with empathy, ensuring youth receive not only structured learning but also the personalized guidance essential for long-term success. It is a partnership of technology and human touch.
Let the future be inclusive
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24, paints a sobering picture: in India’s quiet villages, where the hum of computers is rare, 77.5% of rural youth aged 15-29 have never used a computer for learning, and 74% lack reliable internet access. This digital divide, deepened by gender and regional inequalities, excludes millions from the future of work, narrowing their dreams and reinforcing cycles of poverty.
AI, when thoughtfully applied, can become a powerful equaliser. Offline-compatible platforms, regional language support, and personalised content delivery can empower youth to engage actively in learning and build pathways to aspiration and sustainable livelihoods. Yet AI alone is not enough. To drive true transformation, we must blend it with life skills, social-emotional intelligence, and empathy, the building blocks of agency that empower young people to lead with confidence and resilience.
At its core, AI in skilling is not about replacing classrooms; it is about reimagining learning ecosystems to ensure that no learner is left behind. When designed with equity, empathy, ethics, and intent, AI becomes a catalyst that helps young people move from the margins to the mainstream as architects of their own futures. This shift not only transforms individuals but also uplifts families, strengthens communities, and redefines generational trajectories.
This is India’s moment. Let AI be the bridge, not the barrier. Let our AI journey be defined by inclusion, access, and empowerment, where:
– A girl in a remote corner discovers confidence through digital learning, her smile echoing hope.
– A first-generation learner builds a livelihood using AI, his hands shaping a new legacy.
– No child is excluded because of geography or background, their potential unbound.
A new dawn
With AI, we are not only democratising information but also intelligence itself, which until now was accessible to only a privileged few. This shift is unlocking a future where knowledge and insight can reach every corner of the world.
Such democratisation has the power to dismantle long-standing structures built on unequal access to opportunity, levelling the playing field for all. But with this gift comes a responsibility: people must learn to harness and apply this intelligence with wisdom, empathy, and creativity.
From the villages of India to the global stage, let AI be the torch that lights the path to a world where every mind can soar, every dream can take flight, and every child can claim their rightful place as a shaper of tomorrow.
The author is Global CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation
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