AI Fluency Becomes Essential as Enterprises Balance Automation with Human Skills In India, demand for prompt engineering surged by 1,526%, while learning in vector databases grew 89%. These figures indicate that professionals are not just experimenting with AI tools but actively working to integrate them into workflows and infrastructure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has triggered widespread anxieties over layoffs and job displacement. Industry leaders remain uncertain about how AI maturity will ultimately reshape the workforce, but enterprises worldwide are accelerating efforts to equip employees with skills that could prove crucial in an AI-driven future.

According to Udemy's 2026 Global Learning & Skills Trends Report, GitHub Copilot training recorded a staggering 13,534 per cent year-on-year increase, making it the fastest-growing skill category globally.

In India, demand for prompt engineering surged by 1,526 per cent, while learning in vector databases grew 89 per cent. These figures indicate that professionals are not just experimenting with AI tools but actively working to integrate them into workflows and infrastructure.

Microsoft data supports this trend, showing that 59 per cent of organisations in India already deploy AI agents to automate processes.

From curiosity to integration

The report highlights a broader shift among Indian learners. Growth in System Design Interview (145 per cent) and FastAPI (108 per cent) training reflects a clear drive to embed AI into existing cloud and API architectures. Meanwhile, the popularity of testing frameworks such as Pytest (980 per cent) and Microsoft Playwright (217 per cent) demonstrates a growing recognition that quality assurance and reliability will be central to AI-enabled systems.

At the same time, Indian professionals are not ignoring the human dimension. A 90 per cent increase in learning related to relationship building and risk management suggests that workers see communication, leadership, and ethical risk assessment as essential complements to technical expertise.

Industry leaders caution that while AI is driving efficiency, human skills remain the backbone of effectiveness.

"AI fluency and adaptive skills are no longer nice-to-haves. They're essential," said Hugo Sarrazin, president and CEO of Udemy. He stressed that organisations most likely to succeed are those investing not only in technical AI skills but also in leadership, adaptability, and judgment. The emphasis on human skills comes at a time when layoffs and restructuring continue across industries, reminding employees that technical fluency alone cannot guarantee resilience. In this environment, creativity, problem-solving, and agility remain indispensable.

Four global skills priorities

The report identifies four areas where enterprises are expected to focus in 2026.

The first is AI fluency, which is no longer considered optional. Professionals are expected to use AI fluidly while understanding its risks, limitations, and business impacts. This is reflected in the sharp rise in tools like Microsoft Copilot, which saw 3,400 per cent growth, and GitHub Copilot, which outpaced all others.

The second priority is embedding learning into daily workflows. Instead of relying on traditional "just-in-case" training, companies are adopting "just-in-time" upskilling, where knowledge is applied immediately. Udemy data shows a surge in context-specific role-play training, with thousands of scenarios created in just a few months, highlighting the value of practice-based learning.

The third area is leadership, ethics, and agility. As AI adoption accelerates, companies are recognising the need for governance frameworks and leaders capable of guiding teams through responsible use. Enrolments in AI ethics and governance courses grew nearly 100 per cent, while leadership training continues to rank among the most consumed business skills.

The final focus is adaptive skills. Even as technical skills dominate, organisations are emphasising critical thinking, communication, and decision-making as durable capabilities. Adaptive learning overall grew 25 per cent globally, with significant gains in creativity and problem-solving, underlining the importance of human strengths that outlast specific technologies.

Preparing for the unknown

As enterprises navigate uncertainty, resilience has become a defining priority.

"Change is a constant in the world of work, but what's more unpredictable are barriers, the impact of uncertainty, and whether or not we are agile enough to withstand them," observed Paul Kent, Senior Learning and Development Manager at PepsiCo.

For India, the data underscores a workforce eager to embrace AI while staying mindful of the risks.