India’s Computer Science Grads Are Unprepared for the AI Revolution

Amirul Islam is riding the wave of change sweeping through India’s software services industry—a wave that threatens to cast many of his peers adrift. Freshly graduated from one of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Information Technology, Islam joined Infosys Ltd. in 2022 as one of the tens of thousands of code jockeys the tech giant recruits each year. Today the 26-year-old heads a team reporting directly to the company’s chief technology officer; it’s tasked with designing software that works with AI agents, robotics and vision systems.

The group’s newest creation: a “vibe coding” tool embedded in Infosys’ proprietary AI platform that allows the company’s consultants to develop software for clients in real time by describing in plain language what they need it to do. This development could do away with the elaborate dance of slide decks and next‑steps meetings that characterizes the work of the company’s customer-facing staff. “They can build a working prototype of a solution within 30 minutes,” Islam says. He recalls how, at a recent meeting with a retailer, the Infosys crew delivered a usable app before the coffee in the conference room had gone cold. “The client went, ‘Wow,’ ” he recalls, flashing a gap-toothed smile.