The technological dynamic is amplified in India, which is digitising at one of the fastest rates globally
India’s rapidly digitising economy is facing a significant security challenge as the talent gap in AI-ready cybersecurity widens, leaving critical infrastructure vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated attacks, according to a leading industry expert.
Raghav Gupta, Founder and CEO of Futurense, a firm focused on next-generation skilling, warned in an interview that the pool of professionals equipped to handle AI-driven detection, automation, and the security of large language models (LLMs) is “much larger than most people think.”
The threat comes at a time when adversaries are leveraging AI to launch faster, more precise, and highly automated attacks, creating an “arms race” in cybersecurity.
The Scale Of Talent Gap
Mr. Gupta painted a stark picture of the skills deficit, noting that while India has millions of IT professionals, most teams are still trained for traditional security tasks like monitoring alerts and patching systems.
“When you look at cybersecurity professionals who are truly AI-ready, the pool becomes very small,” Gupta said. “Very few can run AI-driven detection, automate repetitive defence tasks, or secure new areas like large language models and AI agents.”
He emphasised that modern cybersecurity requires professionals fluent in both Red Team (thinking like an attacker) and Blue Team (defending and responding) mindsets, with the added capability to automate these processes using AI.
The consequences of this deficit are severe:
Slower Response Times: Breaches will cost more due to slow, manual responses.
Compliance Failures: New regulations, such as the DPDP Act, are likely to be breached.
Sovereignty Concerns: Questions are already being raised about whether critical cybersecurity capabilities should sit in India or be outsourced.
Gupta argued that if India fails to build this AI-ready talent density quickly, it risks losing not just contracts, but long-term global leadership in a sector that will only continue to expand.
Addressing the duality of Artificial Intelligence in security, Mr. Gupta noted that while AI offers immense speed to defenders—allowing security teams to scan millions of logs in seconds and automate routine response tasks—attackers are using the same tools.
“Attackers can now generate highly targeted phishing emails, scan for vulnerabilities at scale, and launch automated attacks that adapt in real time,” he explained.
This dynamic is amplified in India, which is digitising at one of the fastest rates globally. “That leaves a lot of our digital IP exposed, and makes us a prime target for both state and non-state actors,” Gupta stated, adding that the risks to business continuity and national security will grow unless AI is integrated into every layer of defence.
For mid-career IT and security professionals facing potential redundancy as traditional defence roles are automated, Mr. Gupta stressed the need to acquire new, high-judgment skills.
“The priority is to move beyond repetitive monitoring or support tasks that are getting automated,” he advised. Practical steps include developing fluency in modern security tools, learning to automate detection and response with Python or APIs, and gaining comfort with cloud environments.
He also highlighted the importance of mastering adversarial skills, such as understanding prompt injection risks, and integrating knowledge of zero-trust architecture and compliance frameworks to reposition for roles that demand higher strategy.
The rapid expansion of AI-led operations by Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India is driving a clear shift in hiring needs, with traditional roles being upgraded.
New, in-demand positions at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity include:
AI Security Engineer
LLM Security Specialist
Prompt Injection Tester
Threat Automation Analyst
Mr. Gupta emphasised that to meet this demand, education must shift away from theory. “Professionals need hands-on exposure to how AI agents are used in attacks, how to harden large language models, how to run automated incident response, and how to balance security with compliance in live environments,” he said.
The Foundation: People Before Tools
When asked about the priorities for enterprises in critical sectors like BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing, Mr. Gupta argued that while tools and processes are necessary, the foundation for cyber resilience is people.
“Too often we see companies invest in expensive platforms without the skilled people to use them, which leads to poor ROI and a false sense of security,” he noted.
Gupta insisted that once the right talent is in place—professionals who understand both the tools and the risks—processes can be designed around automation and zero-trust principles. Only then do tools become effective enablers of those processes.
Mr. Gupta explained that his firm, Futurense, was founded on the mission to bridge this very gap, focusing on creating “AI-native cybersecurity programs” in partnership with institutions like IIT Roorkee. The goal is to build ecosystems where every core defence process has a strong AI layer, preparing the Indian workforce to secure the digital future with both scale and depth.
