India Leads the World in AI Readiness, and Udemy Says Its Learning Culture Is the Reason

India is emerging as one of the most prepared AI workforces globally, according to Udemy’s latest research. 

The report shows that 29% of Indian workers already believe they have adequate AI skills, while only 14% have avoided AI training, the lowest avoidance rate among the four surveyed countries. This contrasts sharply with the UK, where 55% have done no AI training, and the US, where 47% have avoided it.

These numbers set the context for Udemy’s growing focus on India, a market that the company’s chief customer experience officer, Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, describes as both eager and prepared. 

“Some of our biggest customers are here. The growth here is very good,” she said.

“I think there’s a learning culture in India that means that people are interested in acquiring skills and improving, and that is obviously a very good fit for Udemy,” she said during an exclusive interaction with AIM.

India’s Learning Culture Stands Apart

Udemy’s global research highlights a striking divide in AI readiness. Across the US, UK and Brazil, 40 to 44% of workers lack essential AI capabilities, particularly in learning AI tools and incorporating them into workflows. Western economies also show strong optimism bias, with workers far more worried about economy-wide job disruption than their own roles.

India does not follow that pattern. Udemy’s study found near-equal levels of societal concern (72%) and personal concern (66%) about AI’s impact. This balanced assessment is matched with action, explaining the relatively higher skill confidence in the country.

Taychakhoonavudh noted that this preparedness shows up in Udemy’s customer conversations too. She observed that across Europe, where she visited last month, there is a noticeably more conservative approach, particularly in relation to EU AI regulations which restrict certain actions. Consequently, the enthusiasm and demand for AI adoption are significantly lower there. 

This difference positions India remarkably well, as the country demonstrates a strong willingness to embrace the undeniable technological shift that is currently taking place.

Even with this enthusiasm, she emphasised that budgets remain tight. “I would say in a world of macroeconomic uncertainty, budgets are either stagnant or being cut, so everyone has to make sure, I mean we’re all to be told to do more with less.”

In her view, the motivation for providing employee learning goes beyond altruism; it’s about developing specific, workplace-applicable skills and capabilities, not just for AI-related fields but generally.

She added, “I think ROI is true for AI, but it’s true for everything, and the learning and development teams need to move beyond consumption and activity metrics to actually say how does this actually improve the business.”

Abhishek Raj, head of marketing, Udemy India & South Asia, agreed, adding that AI adoption initially suffered from herd mentality inside Indian enterprises. Many jumped in without a plan. 

He mentioned that the companies need a clear framework for their AI adoption, starting with defining their goals.

For mature companies aiming to be truly AI-driven, their adoption needs to be evaluated against the tangible results and business outcomes produced.

If the goal is simply to achieve a foundational level of AI literacy, that aim must still be directly linked to a specific business outcome for successful evaluation.

AI Fluency, Role-Specific Learning and Udemy’s New Tools

Udemy’s report shows why structured learning design is becoming essential. Even in India, many workers remain unclear about practical AI use, with 44% needing help learning when to use AI tools and 38% struggling with incorporating AI into workflows.

Rather than pushing generic content, Udemy is shaping programmes around functions. The platform already hosts more than 5,000 GenAI courses, but Taychakhoonavudh explained that course volume alone is not a solution.

She explained that the customer success team advises learners to first define specific, measurable AI learning objectives, moving beyond vague goals like “everyone can use AI.” 

The goal could be basic training in ChatGPT prompt engineering for all employees or mastery of tools like LangChain for the development team. The entire learning program, including steps, incentives, consequences, and critical measurable metrics, is designed around this specific objective.

The company has enhanced its platform offerings with several AI-driven features, including AI Search and Recommendations to identify and suggest pertinent learning modules quickly. It also offers AI-Assembled Learning Paths, which generate customised learning journeys by combining relevant segments from various courses, eliminating the need to complete full courses. 

Furthermore, AI Role Plays provide a safe, non-judgemental environment for users to repeatedly practice and refine behavioural and customer-facing skills.

Taychakhoonavudh described how her own team uses role play tools. Taking transcripts from customer calls and turning them into micro-learning modules now fits naturally into weekly workflows. “It is learning in the flow of work,” she said.

Raj added that even simple AI use cases create meaningful productivity gains in marketing. Tools like Canva now support faster iterations, reduced review cycles and more agile creative development. “It is not earth shattering, but it has made life substantially easier,” he said.

The Udemy report supports this observation. Across all four surveyed countries, the top AI gaps are learning AI tools, workflows integration, and system integration, signalling that everyday practical use cases are where most employees need support.

Competing in a World Where Learning Starts With AI Search

Another challenge highlighted in Udemy’s report is the avoidance of formal AI training in Western markets. Only 14% of Indian workers have avoided AI training, compared to 55% in the UK and 47% in the US.

This informs Udemy’s product direction. Workers often start with ChatGPT or Perplexity before thinking of a course. Instead of resisting this shift, Udemy is building for it. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) allows Udemy learning signals to appear inside whichever platform a professional already uses, including ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Slack or internal agents.

Taychakhoonavudh said, “If you think that just going to ChatGPT will mean that you can learn things, I think you’re fooling yourself.”

She added that structured learning still matters. Platforms like ChatGPT cannot replace frameworks, practice scenarios or the diversity and freshness of real content on Udemy.

A Market Moving Quickly, and Udemy Moving With It

India continues to be one of Udemy’s fastest-growing markets. The company is stabilising its GCC operations and planning next-year initiatives with a stronger focus on role-specific upskilling and AI-powered learning delivery.

The Udemy report makes the stakes clear. Skill half-life is shrinking. In the US and UK, workers prioritise hobbies and financial goals over job-related learning. In India, 87% say they are motivated to build job skills, on par with other personal priorities. This alignment between belief and action is what differentiates the Indian learner base.

For Udemy, this means India is not only a growth market but also a demonstration of what a prepared workforce can look like. 

“We have to stay really close to the market dynamics,” Taychakhoonavudh said. “Things are changing, and you have to be ready.”

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