New Delhi: On the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the largest AI
gathering in the Global South, the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship organised a high-level interactive session titled “Human-Centric
AI: How India Can Power the World through Talent, Trust and Technology.”
Convened as part of the Expert Engagement Group (EEG) discussions, the session
brought together leading global and national voices to deliberate on India’s
pivotal role in shaping a responsible, inclusive and talent-driven AI future.
The keynote
address was delivered by Professor Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global
Business, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, on “Human Flourishing
in the Age of AI” and the vision for a Global South coalition for
transition infrastructure. The panel discussion was moderated by Sidharth
Madaan, Partner & Managing Director, BCG, and featured Yolynd Lobo,
Director and Head of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Google Cloud India;
Arunkumar Pillai, CEO, NSDC; Rakesh Kaul, Technology Consulting Partner, EY;
and Dr. Neena Pahuja, Former Executive Member, NCVET, who shared insights
on building AI capabilities anchored in talent, trust and technology.
The session
concluded with a compelling live demonstration by Sunil Kumar, Lead Engineer
– Machine Learning, Google, on “Scaling Creative with GCP GenMedia,”
showcasing how GenMedia models can generate production-ready assets, enable
immersive AI-driven creative workflows, and transform conceptual ideas into
scalable, real-world applications
The session was also graced by Ms.
Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, Government of India, who actively engaged with
participants, shared her perspectives on aligning AI skilling with national
priorities, and emphasised the importance of building a talent ecosystem rooted
in trust, inclusivity and industry relevance. Ms. Debashree Mukherjee,
Secretary, MSDE, also visited the Skill India Pavilion, where she interacted
with exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge innovations in skilling, digital learning,
and AI-enabled training solutions. She engaged in detailed discussions with
industry partners and training providers, appreciating their efforts in
aligning emerging technologies with inclusive and outcome-driven skill
development.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Bhaskar Chakravorti of The Fletcher
School, Tufts University, highlighted that the future of AI leadership will
be determined not only by technological capability, but by trust frameworks,
digital public infrastructure and the strength of national talent pipelines. He
noted that India’s experience in building inclusive, population-scale digital
systems gives it a distinctive advantage in designing AI that is equitable,
accessible and trusted.
The panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Sidharth
Madaan of BCG, featured Ms. Yolynd Lobo of Google Cloud India, Mr. Arunkumar
Pillai of NSDC, Mr. Rakesh Kaul of EY and Dr. Neena Pahuja of NCVET. The
conversation focused on how AI is reshaping skilling ecosystems, institutional
preparedness and workforce pathways.
Mr.
Arunkumar Pillai, CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) underlined
that AI is not merely a subject of instruction but an enabler of delivery, functioning
as trainer, assessor and career guide. Through AI awareness programmes, the
SOAR initiative and AI-enabled capabilities within the Skill India Digital Hub
(SIDH), learners are now benefiting from personalised pathways, real-time
labour market insights and outcome-based assessments.
Dr. Neena
Pahuja
outlined a structured three-tier framework - AI for All, AI for Many and AI for
Few, to build capabilities from foundational literacy to advanced
specialisation. She shared that SOAR registrations have crossed two lakh
learners and highlighted the rollout of nano-credentials, stackable pathways
and modular qualifications aligned with the National Credit Framework. She
mentioned that our ITIs are also integrating short-duration AI modules to
enhance productivity across traditional trades.
Mr. Rakesh
Kaul
stressed that the central question is not whether AI will transform work, but
how institutions anticipate and manage that shift through responsible
innovation and risk preparedness. Ms.
Yolynd Lobo emphasized the need to expand domestic compute capacity, deepen
partnerships and connect AI solutions across value chains, ensuring inclusion
from agriculture to creative industries.
The session concluded with a shared commitment
to collaborative action between government, academia and industry to ensure
that India’s AI journey remains human-centric, inclusive and globally
competitive.