Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Programme Empowers 1,553 Women Artisans and Entrepreneurs from Rural India
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Tata Group convened the Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Programme at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, demonstrating how AI can be a practical, accessible tool for entrepreneurship and self-empowerment among women artisans and entrepreneurs from rural India.
The programme brought together 1,553 women participants from six states, including Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi NCR. The participants were organised into three structured cohorts - Artisanal, Digitally Literate (Basic) and Digitally Literate (Advanced). Each cohort included artisans, grassroots entrepreneurs, Self-Help Group (SHG) leaders; and community facilitators from diverse rural backgrounds. Contd
The initiative was anchored in a high-touch mentorship model, with one mentor supporting every five participants, ensuring personalised guidance and real-time problem-solving throughout the immersion. With the support of their mentors, participants at the programme used AI to explore new product designs, create marketing materials, understand government schemes, translate documents and prepare applications on their own phones; and more importantly in their own languages. By the end of the 2.5 hour programme, the participants collectively completed 4,727 AI-powered tasks with the advanced cohorts demonstrating a 98% completion rate for assigned tasks.
Aarthi Subramanian, ED & COO, TCS said, “It’s very heartening to witness thousands of women from across the country participating in the Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Programme. At Tata Group and TCS, we firmly believe that technological advancement must go hand in hand with the parallel progress of communities. Through the Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Programme, we are on a journey to encourage and empower thousands of women artisans and entrepreneurs in rural India to harness the power of AI, not just as a tool, but as a force to unlock creativity, expand opportunities; and build sustainable livelihoods. This is our vision of inclusive growth, where technology becomes a bridge to shared prosperity and a stronger, self-sustaining India.”
The Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Programme witnessed 447 traditional artisans use AI to generate design ideas, product photos and innovation concepts for crafts like Pattachitra, Madhubani and Dokra. Similarly, 940 women from self-help groups used AI to identify objects, navigate government schemes, create marketing materials, and draft business communications. 166 advanced digital entrepreneurs comprising of women who already earn about Rs 20,000 per month, explored AI for self-learning and business growth.
