Microsoft ADVANTA(I)GE: Bringing AI Training to 2 Million Indians by 2025

To accelerate inclusive growth and development in India, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has announced that 2 million Indians will get AI-based skill training through ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative. 

Nadella made the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA announcement at the Microsoft CEO Connection event in Mumbai on Wednesday (February 7, 2024). Top business, decision-makers, and industry leaders attended the event and applauded Microsoft’s Artificial intelligence (AI) based skill training initiatives. 

During his address, Nadella announced that Microsoft will provide 2 million people in India with AI skilling opportunities by 2025 through its new ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative. This will help close skills gaps across the nation and strengthen India’s ability to thrive in AI. 

The AI-based upskilling programs completely align with India’s vision of becoming self-reliant by fostering a skilled AI workforce and empowering every sector and industry to transform with AI.

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“India is uniquely positioned to make the promise of AI a reality,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. “We are committed to partnering broadly across the public and private sectors to help close the nation’s AI skills gap and create new opportunities throughout the country.”  Read here the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA: Official Announcement

Nadella emphasized the impact of Microsoft Copilot and other AI solutions on enhancing productivity for individuals and organizations, facilitating faster task completion, and improving quality. Recent research on early users of Copilot for Microsoft 365 revealed a notable 29 percent increase in efficiency across various tasks such as searching, writing, and summarizing.

Numerous organizations in India have embraced ‘Copilot for Microsoft 365’ and GitHub Copilot, experiencing tangible benefits:

1. Axis Bank is leading the way as the first Indian bank to implement Copilot for Microsoft 365 at an enterprise level, boasting over 300 users. The bank has witnessed a productivity surge of more than 30 percent in daily operations with the integration of Copilot.
2. Infosys, a prominent IT consulting firm, stands out as one of the earliest adopters of GitHub Copilot in India. Over 7,000 developers within the firm leverage GitHub Copilot to harness AI capabilities and drive innovation with unparalleled agility.
3. HCL Tech, a global IT services and consulting powerhouse, developed a Copilot for Microsoft 365 plugin for Microsoft Teams, streamlining bug resolution for software developers and managers alike.
4. LTIMindtree, a major player in IT and consulting services, designed a Copilot for Microsoft 365 plugin for Teams, optimizing staff management processes for enhanced efficiency.

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How Microsoft’s ADVANTA(I)GE Boosts India’s AI Skills

The ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative will focus on three key areas to create AI fluency: equipping India’s future workforce, upskilling government officials in AI, and working to build the AI capability of nonprofit organizations.    

• Training the future workforce to harness AI’s potential: To deliver ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA, Microsoft will partner with India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and 10 state governments to provide basic and advanced training in AI to 500,000 students and job seekers in 100 rural vocational education institutions and training centers.
• Strengthening the AI capability of government officers to deliver next-generation citizen services: Microsoft will strengthen its partnership with India’s National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, equipping 250,000 government officers with essential knowledge of generative AI and increasing their AI fluency.
• Enabling nonprofit organizations to accelerate their AI transformation and maximize social impact: Building on the Generative AI Skills Challenge, Microsoft and LinkedIn will convene the India Nonprofit Leaders Summit in April 2024. The summit will enable 2,500 nonprofits and nongovernment organizations to leverage AI skilling resources and technologies to further train 750,000 learners, including underserved youths, young women, and jobseekers, in AI fluency and technical skills.

Source: The IDC study, commissioned by Microsoft