TCS Reports 217,000 Employees with Higher Order AI Skills in Q3

Tata Consultancy Services reveals 217,000 employees now have higher-order AI skills, up from 180,000 a month ago, as company trains all employees on working with AI.

During its earnings call in January 2026, IT company Tata Consultancy Services told analysts it now has 217,000 employees with higher order AI skills, up from 180,000 barely a month earlier. TCS is training all its employees on working alongside and with AI, aiming to achieve AI fluency at scale.

One of the largest IT services company told analysts it was particularly keen on hiring AI natives, mostly young people adept at using generative AI tools from the start of their careers. This represents a fundamental shift in how IT services companies are approaching talent development.

Millions of techies and engineers who have built India’s multi-billion-dollar IT services industry now have a new teammate: artificial intelligence. Embracing this partnership is no longer optional, resistance could mean the end of one’s career, according to industry observers.

Almost all IT companies expect work to be done by teams made up of humans and AI by 2027, according to industry reports. This transformation reflects the rapid integration of AI tools into core IT operations across the sector.

The aggressive upskilling efforts by TCS and other IT firms demonstrate their recognition that AI will fundamentally change how work is done. Rather than replacing human workers entirely, the focus is on creating hybrid teams where humans and AI work together, with humans taking on higher-value tasks.