India embedding AI in education: Sweet

India is doing an impressive job of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its education system, starting from primary school, and governments across the world must follow suit, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said on Thursday.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Sweet underlined India’s growing importance in shaping an AI-enabled future. She noted that Accenture employs over 3.5 lakh people in India and has built one of the largest AI workforces globally, closely integrated with its hubs in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Japan.

“Education is no longer a destination. We have to have lifelong learning,” Sweet said, emphasising that both individuals and nations must rethink traditional approaches to formal education in the AI era.

She asserted that countries and companies that embrace new technologies are the ones that prosper. Citing the rapid adoption of robotic process automation and digital tools over the past decade, Sweet said the IT services industry generated more jobs even as automation expanded.

Stressing the importance of entry-level hiring, she said such roles are vital for creating future leaders and bringing AI-ready talent into organisations. Accenture, she added, plans to hire more entry-level employees this year compared to last year.

Sweet also highlighted the need to ensure access to AI technology and talent for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for nearly 50 per cent of global GDP and a significant share of employment in the Global South. She called for stronger public-private partnerships and global standards on AI safety and industry use to unlock its full growth potential.