As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms everything from recruitment to workplace dynamics, one question looms large: How can India’s workforce not just survive, but thrive in an AI-driven future? The answers will come from leaders who are already navigating this seismic shift.
At the upcoming Economic Times (ET) Soonicorns Summit 2025, these industry experts will speak candidly on India’s AI job transformation:
• Raghav Gupta, Founder & CEO, Futurense
• Gayathri Vasudevan, Chairperson, LabourNet & Chief Impact Officer, Sambhav Foundation
• Mekin Maheshwari, Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation
• Husnaa Baig, Head of Human Resources, SpotDraft
• Piyush Raghuvanshi, CHRO, Apna
The talent churn: What’s really at stake
AI is no longer a distant threat; it’s disrupting India’s workforce right now. From IT startups to recruitment agencies and consulting firms, roles are being automated, transformed, or phased out at an unprecedented rate.
According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in its report ‘India's AI Leap: BCG Perspective on Emerging Challengers’, India’s AI landscape is rapidly advancing, with a talent pool of more than 600,000 AI professionals, a digital base of 700 million internet users, and a sharp rise in innovation marked by over 2,000 AI startups launched in just the last three years. This indicates a sharp shift in hiring priorities within the tech sector: AI is no longer niche, but central to growth and transformation strategies. Companies are trimming legacy roles while doubling down on AI fluency.
According to the Instahyre Tech Salary Index 2025, India’s tech sector saw a 20% job growth this year, led by a 75% surge in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity roles. Yet the report, ‘Decoding the AI Talent Landscape in India’ by staffing firm Quess Corp, revealed that India’s AI talent pool, now at 416,000 professionals, still meets only 49% of industry demand.
Clearly, the challenge is not whether change is coming; it’s about whether companies and workers are ready to adapt fast enough.
What’s at stake: Skill, scale, and survival
This session—AI and the Future of Jobs in India—Who Wins, Who Loses, and What’s Next?—at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will bring together leaders managing talent pipelines, upskilling initiatives, and human capital at a national scale.
Raghav Gupta, CEO of Futurense, brings a contrarian perspective. As one of the few founders committed to creating future-proof talent pools, Gupta is investing in deep-skill training for roles that don’t yet exist. From training engineers to work alongside AI to developing new frameworks for data fluency, Gupta is focused on how Indian workers can co-pilot rather than compete with AI.
Gayathri Vasudevan, as Chairperson of LabourNet and Chief Impact Officer at Sambhav Foundation, represents the policy-practice interface. Having spent over two decades in the employability and skilling ecosystem, she’s expected to offer a grounded view on how India’s informal, semi-formal, and blue-collar segments will be impacted. Will automation exacerbate inequity—or can India build a truly inclusive AI transition?
Mekin Maheshwari, Founder of Udhyam Learning Foundation and former Chief People Officer at Flipkart, is no stranger to scaling talent in high-growth tech environments. His current work focuses on entrepreneurial mindsets at the grassroots. In a future where job roles shift every 24 months, Maheshwari argues, we must teach people how to learn, not just what to learn.
Husnaa Baig, Head of HR at SpotDraft, straddles two realities: she manages a high-performance tech team and recruits in a world where generative AI is altering the legal-tech playbook. What skills does she now look for? How is SpotDraft redesigning its workforce structure? Baig’s perspective will offer tactical insight into hiring in an AI-first startup.
Piyush Raghuvanshi, CHRO of Apna, perhaps represents the most critical lens—demand-side workforce data. As the leader of India’s largest platform for frontline job seekers, Raghuvanshi has a front-row seat to what aspirants want, what employers demand, and where the mismatch lies. His views will shed light on how startups can bridge this widening demand-supply gap in real time.
AI and India’s employment paradox: The burning questions that need answers
India is projected to have over 2.3 million AI-related job opportunities by 2027, but a significant talent gap looms. A recent Bain & Company study indicates that while the country’s AI talent pool is expected to reach approximately 1.2 million professionals by then, over 1 million roles could remain unfilled, highlighting the urgent need for targeted reskilling and upskilling initiatives. This further highlights the growing demand-supply gap in AI skills. While startups and enterprises want to hire for AI, India’s workforce isn’t yet ready at the scale needed, raising the stakes for talent platforms and skilling foundations.
The job market remains fragmented, with stark inequalities in access, adaptability, and awareness.
This session will cut through the noise. How are professionals preparing for a future where AI determines employability? What can CHROs, platforms, and skilling leaders do today to ensure India’s workforce stays globally competitive?
Expect grounded insights into:
This is not a theoretical conversation. These leaders are actively managing transition, deploying skilling at scale, and hiring into AI-first functions.
Expect a real, honest, and data-backed conversation on what AI means for India’s 600-million-strong workforce, spanning a diverse range of professionals from coders and content writers to customer support agents and blue-collar aspirants.
Why this matters now more than ever
India’s AI startup landscape is booming, and workforce transformation is the hidden cost and opportunity of that surge. As startups scale AI models from labs to live deployment, they also reshape the nature of work and the skills required.
In a country where tech jobs drive both GDP and middle-class mobility, ensuring that India remains a global talent hub is not optional. It’s strategic.
AI may replace some roles, but it will also unlock productivity and efficiency at scale. What matters is how India manages the transition, how organisations reskill, how individuals reposition themselves, and how platforms such as Apna and Futurense act as bridges between aspiration and opportunity.
Your front-row seat to the future of work
Whether you’re building an AI unicorn, investing in India’s deep-tech revolution, or simply trying to future-proof your career, this session at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 is unmissable.
Set against the broader theme—From Research Labs to Revenue Models: The Billion-Dollar Blueprint for Scaling Indian AI Startups—this panel sits at the intersection of technology and talent.
Attendees will gain access to exclusive insights that go beyond generic AI predictions. These are real-world strategies from leaders who are actively managing the transition, making difficult decisions about talent allocation, and discovering what actually works in practice versus what sounds good in theory.
The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 takes place on August 22, 2025, in Bengaluru. This is India’s largest gathering of soonicorns or startups expected to reach unicorn status soon. Register now to secure your place at this pivotal event.
360 One Wealth is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.
At the upcoming Economic Times (ET) Soonicorns Summit 2025, these industry experts will speak candidly on India’s AI job transformation:
• Raghav Gupta, Founder & CEO, Futurense
• Gayathri Vasudevan, Chairperson, LabourNet & Chief Impact Officer, Sambhav Foundation
• Mekin Maheshwari, Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation
• Husnaa Baig, Head of Human Resources, SpotDraft
• Piyush Raghuvanshi, CHRO, Apna
The talent churn: What’s really at stake
AI is no longer a distant threat; it’s disrupting India’s workforce right now. From IT startups to recruitment agencies and consulting firms, roles are being automated, transformed, or phased out at an unprecedented rate.
According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in its report ‘India's AI Leap: BCG Perspective on Emerging Challengers’, India’s AI landscape is rapidly advancing, with a talent pool of more than 600,000 AI professionals, a digital base of 700 million internet users, and a sharp rise in innovation marked by over 2,000 AI startups launched in just the last three years. This indicates a sharp shift in hiring priorities within the tech sector: AI is no longer niche, but central to growth and transformation strategies. Companies are trimming legacy roles while doubling down on AI fluency.
According to the Instahyre Tech Salary Index 2025, India’s tech sector saw a 20% job growth this year, led by a 75% surge in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity roles. Yet the report, ‘Decoding the AI Talent Landscape in India’ by staffing firm Quess Corp, revealed that India’s AI talent pool, now at 416,000 professionals, still meets only 49% of industry demand.
Clearly, the challenge is not whether change is coming; it’s about whether companies and workers are ready to adapt fast enough.
What’s at stake: Skill, scale, and survival
This session—AI and the Future of Jobs in India—Who Wins, Who Loses, and What’s Next?—at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will bring together leaders managing talent pipelines, upskilling initiatives, and human capital at a national scale.
Raghav Gupta, CEO of Futurense, brings a contrarian perspective. As one of the few founders committed to creating future-proof talent pools, Gupta is investing in deep-skill training for roles that don’t yet exist. From training engineers to work alongside AI to developing new frameworks for data fluency, Gupta is focused on how Indian workers can co-pilot rather than compete with AI.
Gayathri Vasudevan, as Chairperson of LabourNet and Chief Impact Officer at Sambhav Foundation, represents the policy-practice interface. Having spent over two decades in the employability and skilling ecosystem, she’s expected to offer a grounded view on how India’s informal, semi-formal, and blue-collar segments will be impacted. Will automation exacerbate inequity—or can India build a truly inclusive AI transition?
Mekin Maheshwari, Founder of Udhyam Learning Foundation and former Chief People Officer at Flipkart, is no stranger to scaling talent in high-growth tech environments. His current work focuses on entrepreneurial mindsets at the grassroots. In a future where job roles shift every 24 months, Maheshwari argues, we must teach people how to learn, not just what to learn.
Husnaa Baig, Head of HR at SpotDraft, straddles two realities: she manages a high-performance tech team and recruits in a world where generative AI is altering the legal-tech playbook. What skills does she now look for? How is SpotDraft redesigning its workforce structure? Baig’s perspective will offer tactical insight into hiring in an AI-first startup.
Piyush Raghuvanshi, CHRO of Apna, perhaps represents the most critical lens—demand-side workforce data. As the leader of India’s largest platform for frontline job seekers, Raghuvanshi has a front-row seat to what aspirants want, what employers demand, and where the mismatch lies. His views will shed light on how startups can bridge this widening demand-supply gap in real time.
AI and India’s employment paradox: The burning questions that need answers
India is projected to have over 2.3 million AI-related job opportunities by 2027, but a significant talent gap looms. A recent Bain & Company study indicates that while the country’s AI talent pool is expected to reach approximately 1.2 million professionals by then, over 1 million roles could remain unfilled, highlighting the urgent need for targeted reskilling and upskilling initiatives. This further highlights the growing demand-supply gap in AI skills. While startups and enterprises want to hire for AI, India’s workforce isn’t yet ready at the scale needed, raising the stakes for talent platforms and skilling foundations.
The job market remains fragmented, with stark inequalities in access, adaptability, and awareness.
This session will cut through the noise. How are professionals preparing for a future where AI determines employability? What can CHROs, platforms, and skilling leaders do today to ensure India’s workforce stays globally competitive?
Expect grounded insights into:
- Roles most at risk of AI disruption.
- Skills that are gaining value in the AI economy.
- Upskilling strategies that work on the ground.
- Frameworks for professionals to stay relevant amidst accelerating change.
This is not a theoretical conversation. These leaders are actively managing transition, deploying skilling at scale, and hiring into AI-first functions.
Expect a real, honest, and data-backed conversation on what AI means for India’s 600-million-strong workforce, spanning a diverse range of professionals from coders and content writers to customer support agents and blue-collar aspirants.
Why this matters now more than ever
India’s AI startup landscape is booming, and workforce transformation is the hidden cost and opportunity of that surge. As startups scale AI models from labs to live deployment, they also reshape the nature of work and the skills required.
In a country where tech jobs drive both GDP and middle-class mobility, ensuring that India remains a global talent hub is not optional. It’s strategic.
AI may replace some roles, but it will also unlock productivity and efficiency at scale. What matters is how India manages the transition, how organisations reskill, how individuals reposition themselves, and how platforms such as Apna and Futurense act as bridges between aspiration and opportunity.
Your front-row seat to the future of work
Whether you’re building an AI unicorn, investing in India’s deep-tech revolution, or simply trying to future-proof your career, this session at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 is unmissable.
Set against the broader theme—From Research Labs to Revenue Models: The Billion-Dollar Blueprint for Scaling Indian AI Startups—this panel sits at the intersection of technology and talent.
Attendees will gain access to exclusive insights that go beyond generic AI predictions. These are real-world strategies from leaders who are actively managing the transition, making difficult decisions about talent allocation, and discovering what actually works in practice versus what sounds good in theory.
The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 takes place on August 22, 2025, in Bengaluru. This is India’s largest gathering of soonicorns or startups expected to reach unicorn status soon. Register now to secure your place at this pivotal event.
360 One Wealth is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.
( Originally published on Jul 04, 2025 )