Tata Consultancy Services has launched an unprecedented initiative to democratize artificial intelligence education across India by conducting the world's first large-scale AI hackathon designed specifically for students without coding or engineering backgrounds. The comprehensive program has engaged over 10,000 students from diverse academic disciplines, marking a significant step toward building an AI-ready workforce beyond traditional technology domains.

Comprehensive Multi-State Program Reaches Diverse Student Base

Over the past six weeks, the satellite editions of the AI Hackathon have reached students across 22 colleges spanning 10 states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The program has engaged students from non-engineering disciplines such as Arts, Commerce, Nursing, Agriculture, Criminology, and Law, utilizing voice-first AI tools available in nine Indian languages.

Flagship Event to Train Additional 2,000 Students

Building on the success of the satellite editions, the flagship Tata Bharat YUVAI Hackathon will take place at the India AI Impact Summit on February 17th. This event will bring together nearly 2,000 students for what is described as one of the largest single-session training programs in the country. The flagship event will feature real-time progress visualization and AI-powered evaluation systems, providing participants with a platform to showcase their prototypes to industry leaders, delegates, and dignitaries.

The hackathon enables participants to move from problem identification to developing working applications within a single session, demonstrating the accessibility of AI tools when language and technical barriers are removed.

Addressing India's Talent Pool Diversity

The initiative specifically targets a significant and underserved segment of India's educational landscape. According to the program data, 62% of India's undergraduate population studies Arts, Science, and Commerce, while only 10-12% of Indians are fluent in English. The hackathon addresses these demographics by providing structured, multilingual AI assistance that removes traditional barriers of language, technical training, and prior coding exposure.

Ashok Krish, VP and Head, AI Practice, TCS, emphasized the program's philosophy: "You don't need a computer science degree to build software—just curiosity and AI. This hackathon gives students from any background the chance to build something real, in their own language, and walk away knowing they can do this. That's how you close the skills gap and create digital entrepreneurs."

Strategic Initiative for AI Workforce Development

The program aligns with TCS's broader aspiration to become the world's largest AI-led technology services company by building an AI-ready workforce in India. By equipping non-coders with practical AI competencies, the initiative addresses industry demand for a diverse, digitally skilled workforce while reinforcing India's position as a global innovation hub.

The satellite editions have served multiple strategic purposes, including validating the program at scale and building a strong network of mentors to support future editions. This approach establishes a continuous national initiative designed to transform India's domain-rich student population from technology consumers into technology creators, fostering digital entrepreneurship across diverse academic backgrounds.

Tata Consultancy Services has announced a strategic partnership with Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) to support the company's global digital transformation journey. The collaboration aims to modernize technology platforms, strengthen resilience, and enhance experience across FCTG's worldwide operations.

Partnership Overview

Flight Centre Travel Group, one of the world's largest travel groups, operates a vast leisure and corporate travel sales network spanning Australia and New Zealand, The Americas, EMEA and Asia. Under this strategic partnership, TCS will leverage its deep domain expertise in technology, data and AI in the travel industry to transform FCTG's enterprise technology services.

Leadership Perspectives

Graham Turner, Chief Executive Officer, Flight Centre Travel Group, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: "We are delighted to be working with TCS as we continue our evolution as a business. Strengthening our technology backbone is an ongoing priority and we look forward to collaborating with the TCS team to deliver tangible benefits to our people and, ultimately, our customers and shareholders."

Krishnan Ramanujam, President of Consumer Business Group, Tata Consultancy Services, highlighted the transformation's scope: "We are happy to partner with Flight Centre Travel Group on this pivotal transformation to simplify and uplift the customer and employee experience. Together, we are transforming the enterprise technology services of one of Australia's most iconic travel brands to adopt an AI-first simplified global operating model."

Strategic Implementation

TCS will help FCTG develop and execute a comprehensive strategy focused on several key areas:

• Platform standardization enhancement
• Continuous service level improvements through robust governance
• Transparent reporting mechanisms
• AI-first global operating model adoption

The partnership builds on TCS' extensive expertise in the travel sector, where the company has maintained leadership for over three decades. TCS partners with leading global travel operators, offering consulting-led solutions across business operations, customer service management, supply chain, marketing, pricing strategies, and business model reinvention.

TCS Australia Presence

TCS has been strengthening its presence in Australia for over 35 years, serving as a digital partner to most of the top 10 listed companies in the region. The company maintains operations in five locations across the country and has received recognition as one of LinkedIn's Top 25 companies to work for and as a top employer by the Top Employers Institute.

The partnership represents a significant step in FCTG's digital transformation journey, combining TCS' proven track record in travel industry solutions with FCTG's extensive global travel network to create enhanced value for customers, employees, and shareholders.