India’s AI talent pool is expanding beyond traditional technology roles, with nearly a quarter of AI learners now coming from non-technical backgrounds, according to the India AI Workforce Report 2026 released by Scaler.

Based on insights from 11,444 professionals, the report found that AI is increasingly being adopted across industries and job functions, moving beyond software development into areas such as leadership, consulting, human resources, marketing, finance and academia.

The report stated that more than half of AI-enabled career outcomes are now emerging outside conventional engineering roles, reflecting broader workforce adoption of AI skills.

Women are also playing a larger role in AI-driven career transitions. According to the report, women reported an average salary increase of 145% after moving into AI-enabled careers, while female quality assurance engineers recorded the highest gains at 574%.

Geographically, Bengaluru accounted for 19% of India’s AI talent pool, followed by Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai. The report also highlighted growing participation from Tier-II cities, with nearly one in five AI learners coming from centres such as Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Indore, Coimbatore and Nagpur.

The findings showed that AI upskilling delivered an average salary increase of 147% across professionals, while early-career employees reported salary growth of 155%.

Software engineering remained the most common AI-related career outcome, accounting for 34.77% of outcomes, followed by engineering leadership roles at 17.51%. The report also noted growth in consulting careers, with consulting outcomes rising from 3.1% of learners at entry level to 5.65% of overall professional outcomes.

Senior engineering leaders, including vice presidents, CXOs and engineering heads, reported the highest post-upskilling salaries, averaging ₹33 lakh per annum.

Commenting on the findings, co-founder of Scaler, Abhimanyu Saxena, said AI is creating new career opportunities across regions, industries and professional backgrounds, particularly in Tier-II cities and among women professionals. He added that the report indicates AI is supporting career growth and workforce development rather than replacing jobs.

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