94% of learners already use AI and 87% are upskilling or planning to, while 56% say knowing where to start is their biggest challenge
This Independence Day, an upGrad study highlights the growing shift among learners across India – from adopting AI in their everyday work to actively building the skills needed to work with it. Based on responses from~2100 learners across career stages and cities, the study finds that 94% already use AI, while 87% are either enrolled in a programme or exploring or planning to upskill in AI.
The findings from Skill Shift – upGrad’s Annual Report on India’s AI Skilling, point to a clear shift in learner behavior: AI adoption is already mainstream, while upskilling is becoming an active part of how learners prepare for their careers. Notably, the pattern holds across geographies – adoptionis consistent across tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities – suggesting the AI learning shift is a national one rather than a phenomenon limited only to metros. The report also finds that 54% of learners report a concrete career result which they attribute to AI, including greater confidence at work, a new role, a new job, promotion or freelance income. A substantial 49% say AI has enabled them to do work that was previously out of reach.
The findings also point to a new challenge in India’s AI learning journey. While adoption is widespread, 56% of learners say knowing where to start is their biggest challenge in building AI skills, followed by 43% who cite too many options and uncertainty around what is credible.
Although more than 90% have used AI in some form, only one in four learners (26%) have connected AI to other tools or used an API. Even fewer – roughly one in five (20%)—have gone a step further to build an AI-powered automation, agent or app. The numbers suggest that while awareness of AI is widespread, the shift from using AI as a tool to creating and deploying AI solutions is still in its early innings.
Key findings from the upGrad report:
AI adoption is already mainstream
· 94% of learners surveyed already use AI, with 53% using it daily.
· Daily AI use rises with career experience, from 44% among early-stage learners to62% among professionals with 8+ years of experience.
Upskilling is becoming an active career strategy
· 87% of learners are either enrolled in a programme or exploring/planning to upskill
· 31% of professionals with 8+ years of experience spend three or more hours a week learning AI, compared with only15% of early-stage learners.
The gap is between using AI and building with it
· Only 26% have used APIs or tools, and 20% have built an AI agent.
· Learners enrolled in a programme are 2.7 times as likely to build an AI agent as those who are neither enrolled nor exploring — 27% versus 10%.
Knowing where to start is the biggest challenge
· 56% say knowing where to start is their biggest challenge.
· 43% struggle with too many options and uncertainty around what is credible.
· 43% identify keeping up with AI developments as a day-to-day challenge.
Commenting on the findings, Anuj Vishwakarma, CEO, upGrad, said:“India has moved beyond asking whether AI will change the way we work. People are already using it and actively investing in the skills to work with it. The next challenge is making that journey clearer – helping learners understand what to learn, where to start and how to translate those skills into meaningful career outcomes.”
On this Independence Day, the findings offer a snapshot of a learner community that is actively preparing itself for the changing world of work. The report shows that AI adoption and intent to upskill are already widespread among surveyed learners, while the next opportunity lies in helping more people move from experimentation and everyday use towards deeper capability and real-world application.
Methodology:The study is based on 2,075 respondents, spanning freshers, early-career professionals, mid-career, and senior professionals with 12+ years of work experience from across India. The sample represents an engaged upGrad learner population and is not intended to be a national census. Relationships between upskilling and reported outcomes indicate associations, not causation.