The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT has begun work with industry on a comprehensive revamp of India’s artificial intelligence curriculum, with the proposed changes focused on practical exposure, industry-integrated learning, faculty development and shared infrastructure across institutions.
Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw chaired a high-level meeting with the AI Curriculum Taskforce in New Delhi to review the proposed roadmap.
The government said the exercise is aimed at preparing learners for emerging technology trends and making AI education more aligned with real industry requirements.
The taskforce carried out a baseline study of existing B.Tech Computer Science and allied curricula in Indian educational institutions. The study was conducted in partnership with industry experts and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).
According to the ministry, the study found that AI coverage in Indian curricula has expanded, but several gaps remain in pedagogy, infrastructure and hands-on learning. The gaps were identified in areas such as Generative AI, Machine Learning Operations, also known as MLOps, and foundational model development.
A key recommendation is to move AI teaching away from largely lecture-based formats and towards application-oriented learning. The proposed model seeks to anchor learning in real industry use cases from the first semester itself.
The taskforce has also recommended that AI courses be embedded within the formal academic credit system through a structured semester-wise rollout.
Practical exposure is proposed to be increased from the current 25-30 per cent level to 40-75 per cent, depending on the nature of the degree and the chosen specialisation.
Industry exposure is proposed to be distributed across the programme through capstone projects, end-to-end AI solution engineering and the use of low-code and no-code tools.
The roadmap also recommends that Responsible AI and AI Governance should run as a continuous thread across all semesters instead of being treated only as standalone modules.
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The proposed structure also includes multiple entry and exit options. Students may receive a Certificate after Year 1, a Diploma after Year 2 and an Advanced Diploma after Year 3.
Faculty development has been placed at the centre of the curriculum revamp. The recommendations include structured train-the-trainer programmes, curated course content, standardised assessment frameworks and modernised labs aligned with current industry tools and platforms.
The consultation also recommended focused intervention to bring experienced industry professionals into classrooms as adjunct faculty.
The ministry said this draws on models followed by premier business schools, where practitioner expertise is used to strengthen classroom learning.
Another major proposal is the creation of national-level shared AI infrastructure.
Under the proposed triple helix model, industry, the government and academic institutions would jointly support shared access to GPU compute, edge devices, software stacks and subscription-based platforms for colleges and universities.
The consultation concluded with 4 immediate next steps.
These include estimating national-level requirements for compute, infrastructure, faculty and learner volumes; engaging with the All India Council for Technical Education for formal adoption of the revamped curriculum in semesters 5 to 8 of ongoing batches and full integration for incoming batches; preparing a faculty development roadmap; and creating a parallel track for non-STEM disciplines covering AI awareness, foundational AI literacy and applied AI use in non-technical roles.
