India has emerged as the world’s leading nation in AI adoption, topping the EY Work Reimagined Survey 2025 with an AI Advantage Score of 53, well above the global average of 34. The ranking highlights Indian workers’ readiness to learn, adapt, and collaborate with AI responsibly and inclusively.
India has emerged at the very top of the global artificial intelligence adoption curve, a milestone that signals far more than technological progress. According to the EY Work Reimagined Survey 2025, Indian workers rank number one worldwide in new AI adoption, achieving an AI Advantage Score of 53 out of 100. This places India well ahead of the global average score of 34 and above every other country surveyed among the 29 nations included in the study. In contrast, several developed economies trail significantly behind, underscoring a shift in where digital confidence and workforce adaptability are now strongest.
The EY survey, based on responses from 15,000 employees across 1,500 employers worldwide, measures how workers perceive the impact of AI on their productivity. India’s leading position reflects not just access to technology, but an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards it. Indian workers are demonstrating a readiness to learn new tools, an openness to experimentation, and a belief that AI can enhance, rather than threaten, their professional lives. This mindset has propelled the country past peers such as Indonesia, New Zealand, China, and the UAE, all of which appear in the survey’s top five but still fall short of India’s score.
What makes this achievement especially noteworthy is the context in which it has occurred. India is navigating one of the most complex labour markets in the world, marked by scale, diversity, and rapid transformation. From IT services and startups to manufacturing, education, and government services, AI tools are being adopted across sectors with remarkable speed. Rather than resisting change, workers appear to be embracing AI as a partner in productivity, creativity, and problem-solving. This readiness suggests a cultural comfort with continuous learning, something that has long underpinned India’s success in technology-driven industries.
The contrast with the bottom-ranked countries in the survey is striking. Nations such as Canada, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, and Finland record AI Advantage Scores ranging from 12 to 17, significantly below the global average. These figures challenge conventional assumptions that advanced economies automatically lead in workforce readiness for emerging technologies. Instead, the data suggest that adaptability, optimism, and skills development may matter as much as, if not more than, existing infrastructure or income levels. India’s example illustrates how a young workforce and a strong digital learning ecosystem can accelerate adoption at scale.
At its core, India’s leadership in AI adoption is a story about people. It reflects a workforce that is willing to reskill, unafraid of disruption, and confident in its ability to collaborate with intelligent systems. For students, AI is increasingly seen as a foundational skill rather than a specialised domain. For professionals, it is becoming a daily productivity tool, embedded in workflows ranging from coding and design to analytics, marketing, and customer service. In startups, AI is driving experimentation and global competitiveness, while in public services it holds the promise of efficiency, transparency, and wider access.
This moment also carries a deeper significance for India’s national narrative. For decades, the country has been known as a hub for technology services and engineering talent. Today, the AI Advantage Score signals a shift from being users and implementers of technology to becoming confident co-creators of the future of work. The willingness to engage with AI proactively suggests that India is not merely reacting to global trends, but actively shaping how AI is integrated into everyday professional life.
However, leadership in AI adoption also brings responsibility. As AI tools become more deeply embedded in work and society, questions of ethics, inclusion, and long-term impact grow more urgent. Productivity gains must translate into shared prosperity, not widened inequality. Access to AI skills and tools needs to extend beyond urban centres and elite institutions to reach small businesses, rural communities, and underserved populations. India’s scale means that even small policy decisions or cultural shifts can have enormous consequences, both positive and negative.
The emphasis on human-centric AI is therefore critical. The future of work, as the survey data implicitly suggests, is not about humans competing with machines, but about human intelligence being amplified by artificial intelligence. Indian workers appear to understand this intuitively. Rather than framing AI as a threat to jobs, many see it as a means to eliminate repetitive tasks, enhance decision-making, and unlock higher-value work. This perspective aligns with a broader global shift towards collaboration between humans and machines, but India’s lead suggests it may be adopting this model faster than most.
There is also a strong opportunity for India to shape global norms around ethical AI use. As one of the world’s largest and most active AI user bases, India’s choices will influence international conversations on data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and responsible deployment. By prioritising inclusive growth and transparency, India can demonstrate that rapid adoption and ethical responsibility are not mutually exclusive. This is particularly important as AI systems increasingly affect areas such as healthcare, education, finance, and governance.
For policymakers, educators, and business leaders, the EY survey serves as both validation and a call to action. The willingness of workers to embrace AI must be matched by investments in training, digital infrastructure, and supportive regulation. Lifelong learning will be essential to sustain this momentum, ensuring that today’s early adopters continue to evolve as technologies change. Equally important is fostering collaboration between industry, academia, and government to align AI development with national priorities and social needs.
Internationally, India’s top ranking is an invitation to collaborate. As global companies and institutions look for partners who are ready to innovate at scale, India’s AI-ready workforce stands out as a strategic advantage. The country’s AI story is no longer just about cost efficiency or outsourcing; it is about co-creation, shared innovation, and building solutions that can be deployed globally. In this sense, India’s leadership benefits not only its own economy but the broader international ecosystem of AI development.
Ultimately, India’s position at the top of the AI adoption ranking is a moment of pride, but also a moment of reflection. It highlights the power of mindset—curiosity, resilience, and openness to change—in shaping technological outcomes. It underscores the idea that the future of work is being written not just in laboratories and boardrooms, but in classrooms, offices, and communities across the country. As the world watches India’s next steps, the challenge will be to ensure that this leadership translates into progress that is inclusive, ethical, and deeply human.
India is ready, the data suggests, not just to use AI, but to define how it should serve society. The task ahead is to move forward together, ensuring that as machines grow smarter, the benefits of intelligence—artificial and human alike—are shared widely and responsibly.
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