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The Agentic AI Skills Gap: Bridging the Divide for India’s Tech Workforce
The Agentic AI Skills Gap: Bridging the Divide for India’s Tech Workforce

May 27, 2025

AI

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The rapid evolution of AI, particularly Agentic AI, is reshaping the nature of work. In India, a nation with a thriving IT workforce, the challenge is no longer just building AI solutions—it is about ensuring that talent is equipped to work alongside AI effectively.

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that operate autonomously, make decisions, and adapt to new tasks with minimal human intervention. These AI agents can manage workflows, optimize processes, and enhance productivity. However, for India’s workforce, this shift brings a crucial question to the forefront: Are we prepared for this transformation?

The Changing Nature of IT Skills

The emergence of AI-powered tools has led to speculation that traditional IT skills may become obsolete. Recent studies indicate that 37% of entry-level IT jobs will be impacted by AI1, but rather than eliminating these roles, AI is redefining them. As AI becomes the integral fabric of work, it has the potential to boost efficiency by over 30% in the software development lifecycle2. Google reports that AI now contributes to over a quarter of its new code, with human oversight, driving productivity gains3. This synergy between AI and IT professionals will drive significant value—enabling higher-quality code, more reliable and secure systems, and faster deployments.

In this AI era, professionals must now develop a new set of capabilities to stay relevant. For instance, AI-assisted development is now a core competency, requiring professionals to work alongside AI-powered coding assistants rather than writing every line of code manually. Prompt engineering has also emerged as a critical skill, enabling developers to guide AI models in generating accurate and useful outputs.

A deep understanding of AI models is becoming essential. IT professionals need to know how these models function, their limitations, and how to fine-tune them for different applications. Instead of focusing solely on writing code, developers must shift toward system design, ensuring AI-driven solutions are scalable, secure, and efficient. Debugging AI-generated outputs is another key area, as AI can introduce errors that require human intervention to correct.

Beyond technical skills, critical thinking and adaptability are vital in an environment where AI continuously evolves. Professionals must learn how to interpret AI outputs, question assumptions, and apply human judgment where AI falls short. Ethical decision-making is equally crucial, as AI’s impact extends beyond efficiency to issues of fairness, bias, and accountability.

As AI reshapes workflows, strong communication and collaboration skills will also become defining traits of successful IT professionals. AI-driven development is highly iterative and interdisciplinary, requiring seamless coordination between developers, business leaders, and AI systems. The ability to manage, observe, and optimize AI-driven processes—from automation workflows to AI-powered decision-making systems—will set apart the next generation of IT leaders.

Bridging the Skills Gap: A shared responsibility

While individuals must take charge of their own upskilling, educational institutions and corporate training programs play a vital role in closing the Agentic AI skills gap. Universities need to integrate AI-first skills into their curricula, ensuring that graduates are prepared for AI-powered workplaces.

Overall, companies will look to hire IT professionals who excel not only in coding but also in collaborating with AI and peers to accelerate development and enhance product quality. The AI-first mindset will become a critical consideration.

The Future of India’s AI Workforce

India is uniquely positioned to lead the world in AI-driven innovation, but this will only be possible if the country successfully bridges the Agentic AI skills gap. India's progress in AI skills is highly promising, with the country leading globally in AI skill penetration, achieving a 2.8 score in the Stanford AI Index 2024, ahead of the US and Germany, driven by a robust talent ecosystem and government initiatives4.

By proactively adopting AI-first skills, embracing new ways of working, and fostering collaboration between individuals, academia, and industry, India’s tech workforce can drive the next wave of digital transformation. AI is not here to replace talent—it is here to amplify it. The workforce of tomorrow must be built today, and the time to act is now.

References:

1.  CIO.com. 92% of IT jobs will be transformed by AI | CIO. 2024. Accessed March 29, 2025. https://www.cio.com/article/3485322/92-of-it-jobs-will-be-transformed-by-ai.html

2. Pandey R, Singh P, Wei R, Shankar S. Transforming Software Development: Evaluating the Efficiency and Challenges of GitHub Copilot in Real-World Projects. Published online June 25, 2024. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2406.17910

3. Pichai S. Q3 earnings call: CEO’s remarks. Google. October 29, 2024. Accessed March 29, 2025. https://blog.google/inside-google/message-ceo/alphabet-earnings-q3-2024/

4. Jeevanandam N. India leads global AI talent and skill penetration. IndiaAI. December 17, 2024. Accessed March 29, 2025. https://indiaai.gov.in/article/india-leads-global-ai-talent-and-skill-penetration


About the Author:

Sanjeev Vohra is Genpact’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer.

In this role, Sanjeev is focused on developing the Company’s technology strategy & roadmaps, which include scaling advanced technologies and AI capabilities, advancing technology acquisitions, infusing AI into all client solutions, and fostering a culture of innovation. He works closely with Genpact’s clients, partners, business leaders and employees, to reimagine future-ready solutions generating business value and growth.

Prior to joining Genpact in 2024, Sanjeev spent more than 20 years at Accenture in a variety of roles, including Global Lead for Accenture’s Data & AI business (Applied Intelligence), Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer for Accenture Technology. He also served on Accenture’s Global Management and Investment Committees and was their Global Sponsor for Inclusion and Diversity


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