CII, E&Y propose AI Mission to drive AP’s Digital Transformation

The report highlights the transformative impact of AI on the labour market, noting both opportunities and challenges. It calls for the creation of an ‘Andhra AI Skills Initiative’ and a ‘4i AI Innovation Index’ to track progress and identify regional needs

Predicting a bright future for Andhra Pradesh in the fast-developing field of artificial intelligence, a recently released report emphasized the need for a multi-pronged approach led by an overarching State-level institutional mechanism to integrate AI into the workforce and achieve the goal of a Swarna Andhra Pradesh by 2047.

The report prepared by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ernst & Young (E&Y) stated that driving the AI agenda of Andhra Pradesh through policy enhancements, infrastructure development, skill development, and fostering a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem has to be considered.

The report makes a study on AI and the future of workforce in Andhra Pradesh, where it tries to explore the transformative impact of AI on the State’s labour market, the emerging trends, and the challenges that lie ahead.

In line with the vision to establish Andhra Pradesh as an AI Hub, a key step could be the setting up of an AI Mission, to complement the vision of the Central Government and for a focused multi-pronged approach in the State. Andhra AI Mission shall enable key pillars including AI adoption and capacity building in the State through focused initiatives to enhance computation capacity, AI datasets platforms, AI application development, AI governance; accelerating AI use-case development and R&D across sectors.

E&Y Director - Skill Development Amit Mazumdar said Andhra AI Mission should envision the futuristic skill development ecosystem at the State-level body, to drive AI capacities in the state through a holistic Andhra AI Skills Initiative (AISI) for all citizens anchored by the AP EDGE framework.

The report said the State could establish a 4i AI Innovation Index to encourage and track indicators for AI adoption, workforce readiness, etc, at the state and district level. By evaluating AI progress at the district level, policymakers, businesses, and researchers can identify regional strengths, gaps, and opportunities for targeted interventions.

CII-AP Chairman Dr V Murali Krishna said that AI is rapidly transforming industries globally, reshaping jobs, and driving economic growth. "As AI adoption increases, it brings both new opportunities and challenges for the workforce. India, with its vast talent pool and rapidly growing digital economy, stands at the crossroads of this transformation,” he added.

He stated that AI adoption could impact approximately 38 million jobs in India by 2030, potentially boosting productivity by 2.61 per cent. While AI is expected to create around 2.73 million new jobs by 2028, there is also a projected 38 per cent skill disruption between 2025 and 2030, underscoring the need for widespread reskilling and upskilling.

Dr Murali Krishna opined that Andhra Pradesh is well-positioned to leverage AI for economic growth and workforce development. The State is already integrating AI into key sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, IT, and education. To navigate this transformation, it must focus on building an adaptive workforce through large-scale training in AI, machine learning, and data analytics.