NITI Aayog unveils roadmap on AI to empower 490 million informal workers

New Delhi: NITI Aayog on Wednesday released a pioneering study to systematically explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and frontier technologies can be harnessed to transform the lives and livelihoods of India’s 490 million informal workers who are the backbone of the nation’s economy.

While global discourse on AI has largely centred around white-collar jobs and the formal economy, the landmark study titled ‘AI for Inclusive Societal Development’ developed in partnership with Deloitte, shifts the spotlight to the informal sector, which contributes nearly half of India’s GDP yet remains excluded from formal systems of protection, opportunity, and productivity.

Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, said, “Empowering India’s informal workers is not just an economic priority, it is a moral imperative”.

“The goal of Digital Skilling in AI for workers aligns perfectly with our national skilling agenda by leveraging AI and frontier technologies to make learning adaptive, accessible, and demand-driven. By bringing together government, industry, and civil society, this mission will ensure that every worker—whether a farmer, artisan, or healthcare aide—has the skills, tools, and opportunities needed to thrive in the digital economy of tomorrow,” said the minister.

The report emphasises that AI will not automatically transform the informal sector. Technology alone cannot break systemic barriers. Without deliberate human intervention, focused investments, and an enabling ecosystem, the promise of AI risks remaining out of reach for those who need it most.

To address this, NITI Aayog has called for Mission Digital ShramSetu — a proposed national mission to create the roadmap and ecosystem that will make AI accessible, affordable, and impactful for every worker.

The mission will harness AI, blockchain, immersive learning, and other frontier technologies to dismantle structural constraints — ranging from financial insecurity and limited market access to lack of skilling and social protection — and empower informal workers with tools and platforms that amplify their skills, increase productivity, and ensure dignity in work.

This proposed mission emphasises on building inclusion requires human intent, coordinated action, and collaboration across government, industry, academia, and civil society. Only then can AI serve as a true equalizer—lifting the millions at the margins into the mainstream of India’s growth story and turning the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 into reality.

B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog said that “If we are serious about transforming the lives of India’s 490 million informal workers, collaboration is not optional — it is non-negotiable”.

“This goal demands cross-functional action: from focused R&D that reduces the cost of frontier technologies, to building a sustainable ecosystem of innovation tailored to the informal sector, to skilling and reskilling at scale. Only by uniting government, industry, academia, and civil society can we ensure that this mission delivers not just technology adoption, but real, lasting empowerment,” said Subrahmanyam.

Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog and Chief Architect of the Frontier Tech Hub, said that for India to achieve its $30 trillion ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ aspiration, we cannot leave behind the 490 million workers who power our economy every day.

“AI will not transform their lives on its own—it requires us to deliberately build the roadmap and ecosystem that make these technologies accessible and affordable. This roadmap is unique because it finally puts their voices, challenges, and aspirations at the centre of the AI conversation and lays out a mission-mode approach as the pathway to turn this promise into reality,” Ghosh added.

IANS