SynopsisNearly one in five AI learners comes from Tier II cities such as Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore, according to Scaler's India AI Workforce Report 2026, a study of career outcomes among India's AI-skilled workforce.ETtechBengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai are India's top five AI talent hubs, a report by edtech platform Scaler has found. Together, the five cities account for over a third of the country's AI workforce. However, the share of talent from outside these big metros is growing, the report added.Nearly one in five AI learners comes from Tier II cities such as Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore, according to Scaler's India AI Workforce Report 2026, a study of career outcomes among India's AI-skilled workforce.Bengaluru led the metro pack with a 19% share of the AI learner base, the report said. Pune followed with 7%, while Mumbai and Hyderabad each made up 4%, and Chennai accounted for 3%.The findings are based on a study of 11,444 AI learners across India. The report tracked their career paths after upskilling — the industries and organisations they moved into, and the roles and salaries that followed.Beyond the metrosThe report also found that AI is no longer just an engineering story. More than half of all AI-enabled roles now sit outside core engineering, spanning leadership, consulting, HR and data science.Women are emerging as one of the biggest gainers from this shift, the report said. On average, they reported a 145% jump in pay after moving into AI roles, often outpacing men in similar positions, it added. Leadership trackAI learning is also accelerating the path to leadership, said the report. One in four learners moves into leadership roles after upskilling — nearly three times the share of those who land dedicated data and machine learning roles. These roles also pay the most, with engineering leadership posts earning an average CTC of Rs 33 lakh after the programme.Abhimanyu Saxena, cofounder of Scaler, said real transformation is taking root in Tier II cities, among women professionals, and across functions far beyond engineering. "At a time when much of the conversation around AI focuses on job displacement, the findings tell a different story," he said. "For those who embrace AI skills, the technology is proving to be a creator of opportunity, and not a destroyer of jobs," he claimed. The report added that career gains hold up across experience levels. The average CTC increment stood at 147% overall, with the sharpest jumps among early-career professionals and steady gains even for those with over a decade in the workforce. ...moreElevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea.Subscribe Now