India’s AI hiring market is expanding rapidly, but the bigger story may be how jobs themselves are changing.
Demand for AI and machine learning roles rose nearly 40 to 50 per cent year on year in early 2026, with Indian multinational companies posting an 82 per cent jump in hiring. Senior roles paying above Rs 20 lakh annually grew 55 per cent, reflecting a sharp rise in demand for experienced talent. Bengaluru, Pune and Delhi remain the leading hubs, while IT services, BPO and financial services are driving much of the momentum.
The shift is not limited to Indian firms. Global AI players such as Anthropic and other frontier technology companies are increasing hiring globally and expanding their talent footprint, with India increasingly seen as a strategic base for engineering, product and enterprise AI talent.
For companies adopting AI, the challenge is no longer simply buying software. It is finding people who can work differently, combining domain expertise, automation fluency, data understanding and decision-making skills.
“Learning can no longer sit outside work,” said Sameet Gupte. “It has to happen inside workflows, inside systems, and alongside decision-making as employees use these tools every day. If AI and automation are embedded in core processes, then upskilling has to be embedded there too.”
That view reflects a wider shift in how enterprises are thinking about talent. As AI moves from pilots into daily operations, employees are expected to understand not only the tools, but also the processes, controls and business outcomes those tools support.
EvoluteIQ recently raised USD 53 million in growth capital led by Baird Capital, after having raised USD 20 million in an earlier round, taking disclosed funding to about USD 73 million. The fresh capital is expected to support global expansion, product development and talent hiring, with India remaining central to its R&D plans.
Many enterprises are still dealing with disconnected systems and outdated processes, which can slow AI adoption. This is also changing the skills companies value. Instead of hiring only for routine execution, organisations are looking for people who can work across functions, interpret data, improve workflows and oversee AI driven decisions.
As automation handles repetitive tasks, employees will increasingly need higher value capabilities such as judgement, collaboration, customer problem solving and governance of AI enabled workflows.
Koppikar frames it as a design choice, not just a talent strategy. “The better model is where people learn by doing, where repetitive work gets reduced, decision making becomes easier, and employees build new capabilities as part of their actual jobs. That is how organisations build adaptability at scale.”
In effect, AI is not only creating new jobs. It is redesigning existing ones. Roles that once focused on task completion are becoming more analytical, contextual and outcome oriented. The most valuable employees will be those who can work with intelligent systems, question outputs, understand process impact and make better decisions.
For India, this could be a defining opportunity. The country has long been known for scale in technology talent. The next phase may depend on how quickly it can build a workforce ready for AI led enterprises, where the most valuable professionals are not just coders, but people who can think, adapt and lead alongside intelligent systems.
