Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping Asia Pacific’s growth. By 2030, AI could add USD 3 trillion to the region’s economy. With a workforce growing by 15 million annually, the need for accessible AI skills is urgent.
Through AVPN’s AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, with support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank, regional partnerships with local training providers equip young people and MSMEs with AI skills. The Fund also fosters peer learning and networking, creating a holistic approach to skills development.
A focus group discussion identified key opportunities for youth in an AI-driven future, drawing on insights from local training providers in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore.
Together, these perspectives signal a critical shift: AI is opening economic pathways for jobseekers. An AI Just Transition, where workers and businesses have essential skills to navigate an AI-enabled future, is vital to unlock and scale gains.
AI is Opening Up New Career Opportunities
Before joining the AI trainings supported by the AI Opportunity Fund, many learners across Asia Pacific were concerned about how AI might reshape the job landscape. But the trainings have shifted this perception.
A survey of 430 trainees by the Head Held High Foundation in India found that 63% said the trainings improved understanding of generative AI, and 55% agreed that AI creates fairer opportunities.
With hands-on learning on AI and digital tools, learners found that AI opens up new career paths and opportunities for meaningful impact.
As one 20-year-old participant trained by Pakistan’s Welfare Association for New Generation (WANG) shared: “The programme gave me confidence to pursue my dream of working in AI for social good. I now feel able to use digital tools to bridge the digital divide and apply AI to improve education and communities.”
Meanwhile, trainers stressed that as AI automates many routine roles, jobseekers must build new skills and demonstrate their value differently.
The job market must also evolve by creating clearer paths for emerging opportunities. As Yayasan Plan International Indonesia highlighted, new fields like AI ethics will become more relevant as AI adoption grows.
Reflecting a broader trend: AI not only transforms current jobs; AI creates new avenues for innovation and impact, especially for youth who previously had limited access to technology.
AI is Fuelling Grassroots Entrepreneurship
Beyond formal employment pathways, AI enables youth to create their own opportunities. Trainers noted that AI skilling boosted learners’ confidence, enhanced soft skills, and inspired entrepreneurial pursuits.
One example came from WANG. After the AI training, a young man from a rural village used free AI tools to build a website for a local business, earning his first independent income stream. “We saw learners use their creativity to turn ideas into real, actionable steps,” said WANG’s Qaisar Roonjha. “Many were paid through AI-driven work.”
Devashis Dubey of Head Held High shared another example of how AI enables entrepreneurship: “We run a programme focused on helping artisans go online. We onboard them to a platform and provide AI training, setting up their digital presence. We guide them on boosting online visibility, promoting products and reaching audiences. The support has been very helpful.”
Such stories show how AI unlocks new forms of economic participation when traditional employment is limited.
This aligns with broader research. The OECD shows that generative AI can lower barriers to entrepreneurship by enabling access to advanced tools, boosting creativity, and enabling business ventures with limited resources.
“In a competitive digital world, standing out is crucial. AVPN’s AI training helps learners reach the next level,” said Dubey.
Building an AI-Ready Adaptive Workforce
Sustaining AI momentum requires more than individual training; it needs systemic change. Trainers highlighted the need for employers to define job expectations, set ethical AI standards, and support early-career workers.
As Rachel Tey of Hatch noted, “Systemically, change happens when universities and employers actively support entry-level jobseekers.”
They also stressed government involvement to update curricula and embed AI literacy in core subjects and prevent gaps in digital access and literacy from widening.
The AI Opportunity Fund supports this by upskilling jobseekers in transition, building digital readiness, and helping youth to use AI to find work and generate income. AVPN also leads policy engagement by convening cross-sector leaders to align AI skilling best practices across programmes and policies, ensuring broad societal impact. The AI Opportunity Fund seeks to expand equitable access to AI skills and ensure the region’s workforce can adapt, participate, and succeed in an AI-driven economy.
