On a warm morning in a small town in Maharashtra, 21-year-old Anjali walks home after attending a life skills session. Phone in hand, she scrolls through an AI-powered app that helps her discover new job opportunities. But, while technology opens the door, it is her confidence in interviews and her ability to communicate clearly that will secure her employment.
Anjali’s story captures the essence of the moment we are living in. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not here to replace us. It is here to change what it means to be capable. The future belongs to people who can pair AI’s speed and precision with the judgment, empathy, creativity and adaptability that define human strength. When technology and life skills work in tandem, each amplifies the other, and that’s where real progress happens.
When we talk about literacy today, it is no longer just about the ability to read and write; it is about being equipped with the skills of the future. True literacy now extends to digital and AI fluency, coupled with life skills that enable young people to apply knowledge with judgment and empathy. When underserved communities gain access to both life skills and AI, they are not only included in the future economy but they are also empowered to shape it.
An equaliser
AI for the masses: What makes AI powerful in the Indian context is its potential to democratise opportunity. With AI, we are not only democratising information but also intelligence itself, which, until now, was accessible to only a privileged few. This shift is unlocking a future where knowledge and insight can reach every corner of the world. Such democratisation has the power to dismantle long-standing structures built on unequal access to opportunity, levelling the playing field for all.
For example, conversational AI tools like chatbots are already helping young people from underserved communities improve their English and build communication skills, boosting their confidence in interviews and the workplace. In a country marked by deep socio-economic divides, AI can serve as a true equaliser by opening up access to knowledge, markets and services. The challenge is to ensure that this technology does not widen the gap between digital haves and have-nots but instead bridges it. When combined with life skills education, AI becomes a shared resource that gives people at every level of society a fairer chance at progress.
India’s AI leap
India is at a pivotal point in its development journey, undergoing a remarkable transformation in AI. According to the latest report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), India’s domestic AI market is projected to more than triple, surpassing $17 billion by 2027 and positioning the country among the fastest-growing AI economies globally. At the heart of this surge is the IndiaAI Mission, a Rs10,000 crore public-private initiative designed to catalyse the nation’s AI innovation ecosystem.
This marks the next chapter after Digital India, which brought connectivity to millions. The mission now is to make that connectivity intelligent, inclusive, and impactful.
Yet, infrastructure alone is not enough. AI skilling and workforce readiness will be decisive enablers of the next phase of growth. While India has a strong base of technology talent, the future will demand continuous reskilling, upskilling, and the development of AI competencies to keep pace with rapid advancements. Without investing in AI skilling at scale and ensuring AI for All, India risks missing the opportunity to fully harness its demographic advantage and digital ecosystem for long-term global leadership.
Technology evolves in cycles; life skills endure. Today’s tools may be GPT-powered, tomorrow’s may be quantum-driven
Powering the future
To thrive in this new era, young people need two equally important skills. The first is AI fluency, the ability to understand, use and question the outputs of Artificial Intelligence. The second is life skills mastery, which is the capacity to solve problems, collaborate, adapt and communicate effectively.
One without the other is incomplete. AI without life skills risks creating blind reliance on algorithms. Life skills without AI fluency risk leaving individuals behind in a digital-first economy. AI can give us the ‘what’ and ‘when’. Life skills give us the ‘why’ and ‘how’.
In classrooms, AI tools can generate lesson plans or translate concepts into multiple languages. But teachers still need empathy to gauge whether a student is falling behind, and communication skills to spark curiosity. For too long, education systems have framed ‘hard’ technical skills and ‘soft’ life skills as opposites. The AI economy proves otherwise: both are interdependent.
Anjali embodies this balance. She secured employment, doubled her family’s income and moved them out of the cycle of poverty. Today, she is a role model in her community, inspiring other young women to pursue education, embrace technology and believe in their own potential. Her story is proof that when AI skills and life skills come together, they uplift families, communities and strengthen the nation’s workforce.
Technology evolves in cycles; life skills endure. Today’s tools may be GPT-powered, tomorrow’s may be quantum-driven. Yet, the core human abilities to think critically, adapt, collaborate, communicate and act with empathy will always remain future-proof.
As India looks toward becoming a global economic powerhouse by 2047, the future of work will certainly be AI-augmented. But it must remain human-centred. Life skills are the bridge that ensures technology empowers rather than overwhelms.
The true test of progress is not whether we can build faster machines, but whether we can build stronger people who use them wisely. If we prepare young people with both skills – AI fluency and life skills – India will not just keep pace with change. It will set the pace for the world.
The author is global CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation