Strong Need for AI Upskilling in India’s Digital Workforce: ISACA 2025 AI Pulse Poll

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are increasingly harnessing the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive innovation and efficiency in the workplace. ISACA’s 2025 AI Pulse Poll offers a snapshot into how digital trust professionals and their organisations are approaching AI training, upskilling  and skill development, as well as the potential risks associated with AI adoption—ultimately shaping the future of work.

ISACA’s annual AI Pulse Poll, which surveyed 3,029 digital trust professionals worldwide and 298 from India, delves into AI usage, training, and risk prioritisation in the workplace, finding both areas of promise and room for improvement.

AI Use Booming, Despite Policies and Training Lags

A large majority of professionals are now using AI at work—76 percent of respondents believe employees within their organisation use AI, whether it is permitted or not. Seventy percent of respondents say that the use of AI has resulted in time savings for them and their organisation, and more than half (59%) believe that AI will have a positive impact on their career in the next year. The technology is being used in a range of ways, including:

-To increase productivity (53%)

-To automate repetitive tasks (50%)

-Analysing large amounts of data (41%)

-To create written content (40%)

-Automating IT operations processes (40%)

While strides have been made in AI policies and training, there is still a long way to go. Currently, only 32 percent of organisations have a formal, comprehensive policy in place for AI (up from 15 percent last year). Though 58 percent of organisations say they permit the use of generative AI (up from 47 percent last year), 25 percent of respondents say there is no AI training provided to any employees, 43 percent of organisations provide training only to those in IT-related positions, and only 22 percent train all employees.

Also, while many are using AI, they may not all fully understand it—41 percent of respondents say they are extremely or very familiar with AI, but 50 percent say they are just somewhat familiar with it.

AI Skills and Training Increasingly Essential

Respondents, however, recognise the vital importance of AI skills in a work landscape that is quickly evolving because of this technology. Nearly 46 percent say that organisations are increasing jobs for AI-related functions in the next 12 months, and 84 percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that many jobs will be modified due to AI.

While 86 percent of digital trust professionals consider themselves to have just a beginner or intermediate level of expertise in AI, 81 percent believe that AI skills are very or extremely important for professionals in their field right now. Ninety-one percent say they will need AI training within the next two years to advance their careers or even keep their current roles, and 47 percent say it is needed within the next six months.

According to RV Raghu, ISACA Ambassador India, director ISACA Foundation and director Versatilist Consulting India Pvt Ltd, “ISACA’s AI Pulse Poll emphasises what we’re already seeing on the ground. AI is already reimagining how professionals work, and India is no exception. We are at a key moment in our AI adoption journey, and while there is enthusiasm in India, there are also gaps in training and policy implementation that are currently holding back our full potential. We must act now to build AI-literate teams who are capable of driving innovation while mitigating risks.”

AI Risks but Lack of Action

A workforce skilled in AI is also increasingly important in tackling the wide-ranging AI risks facing the world today, which respondents believe are not being adequately addressed.

Sixty percent of respondents expect deepfake cyberthreats to become more sophisticated and widespread in the next 12 months, but only 33 percent say their organisations are actively investing in tools to detect and mitigate deepfake threats. Sixty percent of respondents are very or extremely worried that generative AI will be exploited by bad actors, and 57 percent believe that AI-powered phishing and social engineering attacks are now more difficult to detect.

Additionally, only 66 percent believe organisations are adequately addressing ethical concerns in AI deployment, such as data privacy, bias, and accountability. And only 39 percent have a high degree of confidence in their ability to detect AI-related misinformation.

Only 45 percent of respondents say AI risks are an immediate priority for their organisation, including these top risks they cited:

-Misinformation/disinformation (74 percent)

-Privacy violations (70 percent)

-Social engineering (60 percent)

-Loss of IP (50 percent)

-Job displacement (43 percent)

“Enterprises urgently need to foster a culture of continuous learning and prioritise robust AI policies and training in AI to ensure they are equipping their employees with the necessary expertise to leverage these technologies responsibly and effectively—unlocking AI’s full potential,” says Jason Lau, ISACA board director and CISO, Crypto.com. “It is just as important for organisations to make a deliberate shift to integrate AI into their security strategies—threat actors already are doing so, and failing to keep pace will expose organisations to escalating risks.”