India Inc taps old IITs for AI roles as placements near

As Job Placements Near, India Inc Taps Old IITs for AI Roles — Old Indian Institutes of Technology are seeing more pre-placement offers and stronger demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-adjacent roles

New Delhi: Old Indian Institutes of Technology are seeing more pre-placement offers and stronger demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-adjacent roles, though some caution about fresher headcount ahead of their final placement season starting December 1.

Widespread AI adoption is reshaping entry-level hiring, according to campus officials and industry executives. While companies are scaling back traditional fresher roles, new opportunities are rapidly emerging in AI, data, analytics and tech-enabled functions.

"We have to live with AI, and maybe it will take one or two years for institutes to properly understand which new skills are required," a placement official at one of the old IITs said on condition of anonymity.

The seven old IITs are those established in Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Delhi, Guwahati, and Roorkee.

IIT Guwahati is seeing a rise in roles involving applied AI and AI-assisted technology, even as traditional software and services hiring declines, said John Jose, head of the institute's Centre for Career Development.

"New roles are coming that were not available last year," he said, adding that students with stronger AI skills could have an edge.

The shift is gradual rather than dramatic, but it is certainly visible as AI reshapes organisations, according to Manjesh K. Singh, chairperson of the students' placement committee at IIT Kanpur. "Companies are increasingly looking for graduates who can build, deploy and work alongside these technologies. So, beyond dedicated AI and machine learning roles, we're also seeing AI skills become part of role descriptions in software, analytics, finance and even core engineering," he said.

AI-focused companies, banking and financial services firms, and quantitative trading firms are expected to be among the prominent recruiters at IIT Kanpur.

Meanwhile, IIT Kharagpur expects hiring across technology and software, AI and data, finance, semiconductors, core engineering and other emerging technology areas.

The institute has strengthened its academic ecosystem in emerging areas, including the introduction of a four-year B Tech programme in AI, alongside programmes and micro-specialisations in areas such as AI and machine learning.

"The placement ecosystem reflects a combination of emerging AI/data-oriented opportunities and continued demand for strong fundamental areas of core engineering, quantitative, financial and managerial domains," said Sanjay Gupta, dean, career development centre, IIT Kharagpur.

Startup participation is also likely to increase. "We're seeing interest from young, fast-growing companies across technology, AI, fintech and deep-tech. Many of these are Indian startups, which we find especially encouraging," said IIT Kanpur's Singh.

Most institutes have also seen an uptick in internships, which are translating into more PPOs.

"Companies are increasingly using internships to assess students before extending PPOs, particularly in IT, data science and technology," said Jose.