The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) organised a high-level session titled “Human-Centric AI: How India Can Power the World through Talent, Trust and Technology” on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, described as the largest AI gathering in the Global South. The session, held under the Expert Engagement Group discussions, focused on India’s role in shaping a responsible and inclusive AI ecosystem.
Professor Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, delivered the keynote address on “Human Flourishing in the Age of AI,” stressing that AI leadership will depend on trust frameworks, digital public infrastructure and strong talent pipelines. He said India’s experience in building population-scale digital systems gives it an edge in designing equitable AI solutions.
The panel, moderated by Sidharth Madaan of BCG, featured Yolynd Lobo of Google Cloud India, NSDC CEO Arunkumar Pillai, Rakesh Kaul of EY and Dr. Neena Pahuja of NCVET. They discussed AI’s growing role in skilling, workforce pathways and institutional readiness. Pillai highlighted AI-driven initiatives like SOAR and the Skill India Digital Hub, while Pahuja outlined a three-tier AI framework and noted that SOAR registrations have crossed two lakh learners. The session ended with a live demonstration by Sunil Kumar of Google on scaling creative workflows using GCP GenMedia. In Guwahati, the growing push for AI-enabled skilling could benefit training institutes and technology partners in Assam. With increased interest in digital learning and AI modules in ITIs, Guwahati’s education and startup ecosystem is expected to see higher demand for AI-related training and services in the coming months.
