Bengaluru has the second highest number of skilled AI workers in the world

The pandemic has sparked a wave of digital transformation across enterprises worldwide and India is at the forefront of providing talent for the same. Four Indian cities ranked amongst the top 50 in terms of the availability of artificial intelligence (AI) across the world, according to a report by the Harvard Business Review (HBR).

According to the report, Bengaluru has the second largest number of workers skilled in AI talent across the world. The city ranked America’s San Francisco, which is the hub for some of the biggest technology companies in the world. New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai also ranked in the top 50.

The report said that while San Francisco leads the world in terms of AI talent availability, its position is “probably overstated”. “There is a global talent pool that extends well beyond the U.S., including in the developing world. For instance, Bangalore, India — the fifth-ranked city for diversity among AI workers, as measured by our TIDE framework — has the world’s second-largest AI talent pool,” the report said. 

Further, the report also said that hiring for AI workers increased by three times in 2021, as compared to 2017. It noted that almost 30% scientific research papers from India included female authors, which is “double the proportion” of female authors seen in papers coming in from the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). While Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi showed medium to high diversity in AI talent, Hyderabad still ranked in the low end.

Indian cities also ranked favourably in terms of cost of living, which could make it favourable for companies to set up AI talent here. Jakarta, Lagos, Nairobi, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Sai Paolo also scored favourably in this regard.