LUCKNOW, June 10 -- UPES, a multidisciplinary and research university in India, highlighted its transition into an 'AI-First' university at an event on Tuesday. At an event organised on Tuesday, UPES highlighted a robust ecosystem of collaborations designed to equip students with capabilities aligned to evolving industry requirements. Speakers highlighted the India Skills Report 2026, India's employability has risen to 56.35% and has more than 600,000 AI professionals. Globally, technology will disrupt existing roles, but it will also create new opportunities, with 170 million new jobs by 2030, as per the WEF's Future of Jobs Report 2025. Considering these shifts, there is a clear need for higher education institutions to help students build domain knowledge along with AI fluency, adaptability, analytical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, they said. In response to this changing landscape, and in a landmark first for Indian higher education, UPES has recently collaborated with OpenAI to provide governed and free access to advanced AI tools for over 19,100 students and 1,500 faculty members. The university is also integrating AI up to 33% across all programmes and deploying a flagship AI Tutor for every student to ensure programme and semester-aligned teaching, including concept clarification, practice support, and multilingual help. This enables students to work within the same AI environment that is reshaping global industry from the very beginning of their degrees. Abhishek Sinha, pro vice-chancellor (student success), UPES, said, "As artificial intelligence reshapes every sector, universities must equip students with the ability to learn continuously, think critically, and adapt to change. At UPES, our AI-first approach combines technology, industry engagement, and interdisciplinary learning to ensure students are prepared not only for the jobs that exist today, but also for the careers that will emerge tomorrow."...