Gautam Adani

India’s two biggest business houses — Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani — are turning the ongoing India AI Summit into a high-stakes talent hunt, as competition to build cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools intensifies across the country. Senior executives from Reliance Industries Ltd. and Adani Group have been actively scouting young engineers at the summit, with candidates queuing up to showcase resumes, AI prototypes, and GitHub portfolios. With AI expertise still a niche skill set in India’s vast technology workforce, companies are moving quickly to secure top talent. Priyanshi Bavishi, a marketing executive at AdaniConnex Pvt. Ltd., said the summit offers an ideal platform to connect with qualified professionals. “The industry is still niche, so the qualified people have great prospects,” she noted. The week-long event has drawn global tech heavyweights, including Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc. and Sam Altman of OpenAI, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, who is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit serves as a global showcase for India’s software prowess and tech-savvy workforce. The country has already attracted $50 billion in AI-related investments, positioning itself as an emerging force in the global AI race. Corporate announcements during the summit underscored that momentum. Anthropic revealed a partnership with Infosys Ltd. to build advanced AI solutions tailored for specific industries. Meanwhile, the Adani Group unveiled plans to invest $100 billion in data centers by 2035. Google has also committed $15 billion toward developing what it calls its first AI hub in India. Consulting firms are equally aggressive in recruitment. Siddharth Sood, a consulting partner at Ernst & Young LLP, said the focus is shifting beyond traditional service roles. “We are a service-oriented nation. But we are looking for ideapreneurs,” he said, highlighting demand in areas such as AI-driven cybersecurity. At the summit venue, AI engineers, data scientists, and cloud developers are among the most sought-after profiles. Recruiters from Dell Technologies and Salesforce are leveraging the event to access candidates they might not reach through conventional online hiring channels, where automated screening systems often filter out applicants. Viral Tank, senior manager in analytics at Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, described the atmosphere as mutually beneficial. “It works both ways. I am looking for people. They are looking for jobs,” he said, noting the strong turnout of students since early morning sessions. While global corporations deepen their AI footprints and Indian conglomerates ramp up infrastructure spending, the government is aiming to expand domestic AI model development and boost funding further. Even as India accelerates its efforts, it continues to trail China in overall AI scale and deployment — making talent acquisition a critical battleground in the country’s next phase of digital growth. Source: Bloomberg