Microsoft says will help 2 million Indians in small cities learn AI skills

[February 07, 2024]  MUMBAI (Reuters) - Microsoft will provide 2 million people in India with AI skilling opportunities by 2025, CEO Satya Nadella said on Wednesday, adding that it is imperative for India and the United States to cooperate on AI norms and regulations.   

The Microsoft store sign is pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

The skilling will focus on training individuals in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, as well as rural areas and unlock inclusive socio-economic progress, the company said in a statement.

"I hope consensus emerges and that is what really helps, in some sense, (with) the diffusion of this technology," Nadella said at a conference in Mumbai, referring to global attempts to draw up rules and regulate AI.

Nadella said he hoped diffusion of AI globally would lead to "equal distribution of economic growth".

(Reporting by Dhwani Pandya in Mumbai; Writing by Bansari Mayur Kamdar; Editing by YP Rajesh)

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.