But can India’s education and skilling ecosystem keep up with technology evolving at unprecedented speed? Policymakers say India needs to prepare its workforce on two fronts: giving citizens the broader skills needed for an AI-driven economy, while simultaneously building a specialised pool of researchers, engineers and professionals capable of developing and deploying advanced AI systems. From initiatives such as IndiaAI Mission, Sarvam AI and BharatGen to new industry-academia partnerships, efforts are already underway. But the global AI race is moving quickly, with the US and China continuing to lead while countries such as the UK, Singapore, South Korea and France accelerate their own investments. The challenge for India is no longer simply creating more AI courses or announcing new initiatives. We need to build real-world skills, research capabilities, and industry-ready talent quickly enough to match the technology. Because the AI race has already begun. The question is: Can India’s workforce keep up?