Journalism begins where hype ends

,,

The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

India Leads in AI Upskilling, Ranks Second in AI Authors and Inventors: Stanford AI Index 2026 Report

April 17, 2026 02:01 PM IST | Written by Vaibhav Jha

India leads in global AI skill penetration and accounts for the world’s second highest number of identified AI authors and inventors, as per the latest Stanford 2026 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Index Report.

The annual report published by Stanford University’s Human-centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) states that India leads globally when it comes to building AI skills through professional certificates, online courses, and on-the-job experience. The Stanford AI Index Report has cited LinkedIn’s official data for 2025 as source.

relative ai skill penetration report Stanford ai index 2026 report.png

“India leads at 3.0, meaning AI skills appear in member profiles at almost three times the global average, followed by the United States at 2.0 and Germany at 1.8.,” reads the report. The male-female ratio of Indians when it came to AI skill penetration was reported at 3.05:1.94.

India also accounts for the world’s second highest number of identified AI authors and inventors with 50,460 persons trailing only behind the USA that hosted 220,520 in 2025. India’s list of AI authors and inventors remained dominated by men at 71.96% and women at 28.04%.

Stanford AI Index 2026 report stating data of number of AI Authors and Inventors — India ranked second when it came to number of AI authors and inventors

However, India landed only four publications in the top 100 list of most cited publications. When it came to access to GenAI tools in education, India saw its share rise to an impressive 88% in 2025 from 44% in 2023.

India ranked fourth globally with 108 newly funded AI companies set up in 2025 and fifth in Global AI investment at $4.09 Billion.

Also Read: India’s Tryst with AI: White Paper Offers Roadmap for Foundation Models

Author

Vaibhav Jha

Vaibhav Jha is an Editor and Co-founder of AI FrontPage. In his decade long career in journalism, Vaibhav has reported for publications including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The New York Times, covering the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Outside work, he’s usually trying to persuade people to watch Anurag Kashyap films.