AI skills surge in India as enterprises prioritize human-centric workforce transformation: Udemy report

The report highlights a 1,526% surge in Prompt Engineering demand and an 89% rise in Vector Database skills among Indian learners, reflecting the country’s rapid adoption of generative AI and focus on scalable data infrastructure

Udemy, a global leader in AI-driven learning platforms, has released its 2026 Global Learning & Skills Trends Report, revealing India’s sharp pivot toward advanced AI and productivity skills. The findings are based on learning behavior from over 17,000 Udemy enterprise customers worldwide.

The report shows a remarkable 1,526% increase in demand for Prompt Engineering skills among Indian learners—signaling the country's aggressive adoption of generative AI. Complementing this trend, upskilling in Vector Databases rose by 89%, underlining the growing importance of building scalable data infrastructure to support AI applications.

“AI fluency and adaptability are no longer optional—they’re essential for competitiveness,” said Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Udemy. “But human judgment, leadership, and adaptability remain the real differentiators.”

India’s deep dive into AI and automation

Beyond generative AI, Indian professionals are investing heavily in role-specific technical skills. There’s been a 980% increase in learning Pytest, a popular testing framework, and significant growth in cloud certifications (108%), FastAPI (108%), and Microsoft Playwright (217%). This indicates a rising focus on system integration, testing, and automation to build reliable, AI-augmented solutions.

Business skills are also on the rise, with Risk Management and Relationship Building courses both growing by 90%. This suggests that while technical capabilities are vital, professionals are equally aware of the ethical, operational, and communication challenges that AI adoption brings.

“AI fluency means more than using tools—it’s about understanding capabilities, risks, and daily applications,” said Vinay Pradhan, Country Manager, Udemy India.

Global skills acceleration: Four key trends

Globally, Udemy highlighted four strategic areas for companies aiming to future-proof their workforce:

1.      AI Fluency as Baseline – GitHub Copilot saw a 13,534% increase, while Microsoft Copilot surged 3,400%, emphasizing AI’s centrality to both technical and business roles.

2.      Learning in the Flow of Work – Embedded learning is gaining traction, with over 3,300 AI Role Plays launched within three months.

3.      Ethical Leadership and Agility – Courses on AI governance grew by 98%, while leadership remained among the most consumed business topics.

4.      Soft Skills Remain Critical – Adaptive skills like communication and decision-making saw steady year-over-year growth, confirming their long-term value.

As companies and professionals prepare for the AI-driven future of work, the message is clear: technical skills may power efficiency, but human capabilities will define effectiveness.