NIELIT and Intel India Organize National Leadership Dialogue on Agentic AI Workforce Preparation
The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in collaboration with Intel India, organized a National Leadership Dialogue on "Preparing the Future Workforce for the Agentic AI Era" at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on September 3, 2026. The event brought together senior representatives from government, foreign embassies, academia, industry, and the skilling ecosystem to deliberate on the rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence landscape and its implications for the future of work, education, and workforce development in India.
Key Participants and Discussion Focus
The program was attended by Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as Chief Guest, Dr. M. M. Tripathi (Director General, NIELIT), Shri Sudeep Shrivastava (COO, IndiaAI Mission and Joint Secretary, MeitY), and Mr. Anshul Sonak (Head & Global Director, Intel). Discussions centered around emerging skill requirements, industry-aligned curricula, experiential learning, faculty readiness, AI-enabled learning environments, and stronger government-academia-industry collaboration. The dialogue highlighted the importance of preparing students, educators, and professionals with technical capabilities, adaptability, and human-centric skills required to work alongside increasingly capable AI systems.
Launch of Agentic AI Skilling Initiative
A key outcome was the launch of the NIELIT–Intel India Agentic AI Skilling Initiative, which includes two specific programs designed to expand access to industry-aligned Agentic AI learning opportunities. The first program, 'Agentic AI for Everyone,' introduces learners to workflow automation, AI agents, and multi-agent systems with focus on improving productivity, enabling business transformation, and supporting intelligent decision-making. It provides hands-on exposure to designing and governing AI-powered workflows and agentic systems using no-code platforms. The second program, 'Engineering Agentic AI Systems,' focuses on designing, building, and deploying AI-powered agentic systems, providing practical exposure to no-code/low-code platforms and code-based frameworks covering agent architecture, tool integration, orchestration, memory, and deployment for scalable production-ready solutions.
Strategic Importance and Government Vision
Shri Sudeep Shrivastava emphasized the Government's vision of democratizing Sovereign AI and building a strong inclusive AI ecosystem in India, highlighting the importance of building a strong AI talent pipeline for the country's digital economy. He stressed the role of industry-led training, AI-focused educational programmes, and digital learning initiatives in strengthening AI capabilities across educational institutions, along with developing AI talent, AI Data Labs, and industry-academia partnerships to provide hands-on exposure to emerging AI technologies.