The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the IndiaAI Mission, the Government of Assam and IIT Guwahati are hosting a two-day Human Capital Working Group Meeting at the IIT Guwahati campus, bringing together policymakers, academics and industry experts to shape India’s approach to AI-driven workforce transformation. The meeting, being held on January 5–6, 2026, is chaired by Prof T G Sitharam and serves as a thematic precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled in New Delhi from February 15–20.

The opening session featured addresses by Syedain Abbasi, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Assam; K S Gopinath Narayan, IAAS, Principal Secretary (IT), Government of Assam; Prof T G Sitharam, Chair, Human Capital Working Group; Prof Devendra Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati; and Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director, IndiaAI, MeitY. Speakers emphasised the central role of human capital in India’s AI journey and the need to move beyond conventional skilling models towards lifelong learning, human augmentation and institutional readiness.

Welcoming participants, Prof Devendra Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati, highlighted the institute’s role as a convening platform linking policy, academia and industry, and underscored its commitment to inclusive and socially responsive AI ecosystems.

Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director, IndiaAI, MeitY, outlined the vision of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, noting its focus on democratising AI resources, building future-ready human capital and amplifying Global South perspectives. She added that insights from the Guwahati deliberations would directly inform global-level discussions at the Summit.

Prof T G Sitharam stressed that India’s transition to an AI-enabled economy must be inclusive and people-centric, calling for lifelong learning ecosystems that prioritise adaptability and human judgement alongside technical skills.

A key highlight of the first day was the keynote address on “Democratizing Competency in the Age of AI” by Prof Gautam Barua, Former Director, IIT Guwahati, who examined the shift towards AI-enabled human augmentation and the need for sovereign, sector-aligned AI systems that ensure workforce transition security.