India leads in AI hiring

India has emerged as the world’s fastest-growing hub for artificial intelligence (AI) hiring, according to the Stanford AI Index 2025 report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, highlighted the country’s 33.4% year-on-year growth in AI hiring for 2024 — outpacing Brazil (30.8%) and Saudi Arabia (28.7%).

The report also positions India as the second-largest contributor to AI-related GitHub projects, with 19.9% of global submissions, trailing only the US (23.4%). In AI skill penetration, India ranks just behind the US, showcasing a workforce increasingly skilled in AI technologies.

Despite these milestones, India lags in critical areas like private investment, research quality, and global AI model output. Since 2013, India has attracted only $11.29 billion in AI investment — far less than the US ($470.9 billion), China ($119.3 billion), and the UK ($28.2 billion). In 2024 alone, the US invested $109.1 billion, compared to India’s modest figures.

Startup activity remains limited, with only 74 new AI startups launched in India in 2024, versus 1,073 in the US and 98 in China. Research output also falls short, with India contributing 9.2% of global AI publications and producing just 42 papers on Responsible AI, compared to 669 by the US.

India’s recent $1.25 billion IndiaAI Mission aims to bridge some of these gaps by developing national AI infrastructure, supporting startups, and promoting ethical AI. However, the scale of this initiative is still modest compared to global efforts—Canada has pledged $2.4 billion, while Saudi Arabia’s AI plans include a $100 billion investment.

While India is gaining ground in talent and open-source contributions, significant gaps remain in capital, infrastructure, and innovation needed to compete with AI leaders like the US and China.