The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), IndiaAI Mission, the Government of Assam, and Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati are jointly hosting a two-day Human Capital Working Group Meeting at the IIT Guwahati campus on January 5–6, 2026. The meeting brings together senior policymakers, academic leaders, industry experts, and practitioners to advance national deliberations on education reform, workforce transition, and inclusive, human-centric AI adoption.
Chaired by T. G. Sitharam, the convening serves as a key thematic precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 15–20, 2026, and is expected to inform national policy outcomes.
Human Capital at the Core of India’s AI Journey
The opening session featured addresses by senior leaders including Syedain Abbasi, K. S. Gopinath Narayan, Devendra Jalihal, and Shikha Dahiya. Speakers emphasised that human capital is central to India’s AI transformation, calling for a shift beyond conventional skilling models towards lifelong learning, institutional readiness, and human augmentation.
Prof. Devendra Jalihal highlighted IIT Guwahati’s role as a convening platform linking policy, academia, industry, and students, underscoring the institute’s commitment to inclusive AI ecosystems and strong student engagement.
India AI Impact Summit 2026: Global South in Focus
Ms. Shikha Dahiya outlined the vision for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, noting its emphasis on democratisation of AI resources, inclusive and responsible AI adoption, and amplification of Global South perspectives. She highlighted the role of the IndiaAI Mission in building future-ready human capital through initiatives spanning compute capacity, indigenous datasets and models, and nationwide AI skilling, adding that outcomes from the Guwahati deliberations would directly inform global-level discussions at the Summit.
Inclusive, People-Centric AI Transition
Chairing the Working Group, Prof. T. G. Sitharam stressed that the transition to an AI-enabled economy must be inclusive and people-centric. He called for a move away from fragmented skilling towards lifelong learning ecosystems that prioritise adaptability, judgement, and human-centred capabilities alongside technical skills, ensuring that technological progress translates into dignity, opportunity, and resilience.
Policy Perspectives from Assam
Shri K. S. Gopinath Narayan highlighted that AI integration marks a fundamental shift in how economies and societies function. He cautioned against unchecked automation that could widen inequalities and emphasised human augmentation, continuous learning, micro-skilling, and AI literacy as essential public capabilities.
Shri Syedain Abbasi observed that unlike previous technology cycles, AI increasingly functions as an autonomous agent. He warned of risks arising from the concentration of AI capabilities among a few global players and called for indigenous compute capacity, strong public–private collaboration, and differentiated skilling pathways to safeguard India’s employment landscape.
Keynote and Panels: Day 1 Highlights
A keynote address on “Democratizing Competency in the Age of AI” by Gautam Barua examined the shift from education systems producing individual experts to models enabling large-scale human augmentation through domain-specific AI tools. The address stressed the need for sovereign, sector-aligned AI systems and social protection for workers affected by automation.
This was followed by a panel on “Gender-Responsive Strategies for the AI Transition”, moderated by Arpitha Desai, which examined AI’s impact on women in the workforce. Panellists highlighted risks of automation of entry-level roles, wage gaps, algorithmic bias, and unequal access to AI skilling, while underscoring inclusive design, explainable AI, and adoption-led reskilling.
Another panel on “Redefining Education for the Cognitive Age” explored how AI is reshaping pedagogy, assessment, and learning objectives. Discussions focused on moving from rote-based instruction to cognitive, process-oriented learning, leveraging AI for personalised education, reducing administrative burdens on teachers, and embedding adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, and lifelong learning as core capabilities.
Towards Policy Outcomes for Viksit Bharat 2047: MEITY
The Working Group will continue deliberations on education reform, workforce transition, lifelong learning systems, and gender-responsive strategies, culminating in a consolidated set of recommendations to inform national policy outcomes.
Conclusion
The Human Capital Working Group Meeting at IIT Guwahati reinforces the Government of India’s commitment to building inclusive, human-centric AI ecosystems under the IndiaAI Mission. By aligning regional perspectives with national priorities and global ambitions, the convening sets the stage for impactful outcomes at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, contributing to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
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Source: PIB
