AI Talent Surges In Retail GCCs, But Just 320 Senior Professionals Exist

AI adoption across India’s Retail and Consumer Global Capability Centres (GCCs) is rising rapidly, but the availability of experienced AI professionals remains a challenge, according to findings released by TeamLease Digital.

AI workforce penetration in Retail GCCs more than doubled from 2.1% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2025 and is projected to reach 10.6% by 2028, the talent and capability solutions provider said. The sector currently employs nearly 7,800 professionals in core AI and Data roles, while demand stood at 990 positions in 2025.

TeamLease Digital assessed 180 GCCs and found that only 22 of the top 50 mega Retail GCCs had established AI capabilities, indicating that many centres are still at an early stage of building AI teams.

Senior AI Talent Remains Limited

Despite the rapid growth in AI hiring, the pool of experienced professionals remains small. TeamLease Digital found that only 320 AI professionals with at least eight years of experience are currently part of the Retail GCC ecosystem across India.

Around 63% of this senior talent, or about 202 professionals, are AI Engineering Leads with an average of nine years of experience. AI/Data Directors account for 22%, or roughly 71 professionals, while AI Architects and Principal Scientists make up just 15%, or around 47 professionals.

The findings suggest that the shortage becomes more severe at the most senior levels. AI Architects and Principal Scientists have an average of more than 14 years of experience, making this group particularly difficult for companies to hire.

Bengaluru Dominates India’s AI Talent Pool

The concentration of experienced AI professionals is also heavily skewed towards Bengaluru. The city has around 4,200 AI professionals, accounting for 54% of the Retail GCC AI talent pool.

Bengaluru also has 185 of the country’s 320 senior AI professionals in the sector. Delhi NCR ranks second, followed by Hyderabad, while Chennai, Mumbai and Pune each have fewer than 20 senior AI leaders.

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, said Retail GCCs have moved beyond the pilot stage in AI, with adoption increasingly affecting areas such as supply chains, pricing and customer service.

“But leadership hasn't kept pace. And you can't fix a 320-person shortage by hiring harder. When everyone competes for the same few names in the same one city, all you get is a bidding war,” Sharma said.

“The durable answer is to build senior AI talent, not buy it back at a premium,” Sharma said, adding that companies need to focus on developing their own AI leadership capabilities rather than relying only on hiring experienced professionals from the existing pool.