Mumbai-based Magic Bus India Foundation is expanding its ‘AI for Masses’ initiative, rolling out inclusive AI skilling programmes aimed at preparing youth from underserved communities for India’s emerging AI-driven economy.
As part of the initiative, the organisation is convening the Employers Summit Series, a pre-summit engagement platform ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The multi-city series is being held across Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai under the theme “AI-Ready Talent: What Employers Really Want Tomorrow.” Editions in Chennai and Hyderabad have already concluded, with upcoming engagements scheduled in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.
The series brings together employers, policymakers, CSR leaders, academia, and youth innovators to align industry demand with grassroots skilling realities. The objective is to strengthen employer–youth linkages and shape demand-driven skilling pathways that support large-scale, inclusive workforce readiness.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, organised under the IndiaAI Mission by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), serves as the country’s flagship platform for accelerating AI adoption and workforce transformation. Insights and workforce readiness strategies from Magic Bus’s pre-summit engagements are expected to feed into national-level deliberations.
Arun Nalavadi, Chief of Programmes – Livelihood, Magic Bus India Foundation, said, “At Magic Bus, our mission is to ensure that youth from underserved communities are not left behind as the world of work evolves. Our AI skilling programmes are built on the belief that access to future-ready skills should not be limited by geography or socio-economic background. Leveraging technology, we combine AI with life and employability skills to deliver impact at scale. By aligning with employers and providing foundational AI literacy, we bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity, making AI a pathway to sustainable employment.”
Magic Bus launched the AI for Masses initiative to equip young people with future-ready skills and support their transition into the workforce. A flagship programme under this initiative, AI–Connect with Work (AI-CWW), is a 7–10-day intervention for college students and graduates from underserved communities. The programme focuses on practical AI awareness and workplace-relevant skills for emerging roles in an AI-enabled economy.
According to the organisation, 35,000 youth were skilled through AI-CWW last year, and the programme is on track to reach 1.5 lakh participants this year. The initiative aims to strengthen career readiness, enable informed career choices, and support long-term employment outcomes.
