Tata Steel Supports 600 Women in AI Sakhi Program at India AI Summit

• Tata Steel and Tata Steel Foundation assisted more than 600 women from Jharkhand
• The project aims to enhance AI learning, confidence, and dignity among women in rural India

Tata Steel and its social impact initiative, Tata Steel Foundation, came together to facilitate over 600 women from grassroots initiatives in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Ludhiana to attend the Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Program at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, conducted at the Bharat Mandapam, Delhi.

The summit was organized by the Government of India and hosted by Tata Consultancy Services, with the aim of improving AI learning, confidence, and dignity for women in grassroots India.

The event was graced by the presence of Smriti Irani, Chairperson of the Alliance for Global Good, Gender Equity and Equality, CII, who was the chief guest. Sourav Roy, CEO of Tata Steel Foundation, along with government representatives and Tata Group dignitaries, were also present.

A total of 311 women from Jharkhand, 315 women from Odisha, and 9 women from Ludhiana attended the event, which was a part of a pool of 635 women out of 1600 attendees.

This particular initiative is in line with Tata Steel Foundation’s vision of “realising her potential with dignity,” thereby underlining its dedication to inclusive development.

The participants, mobilized by Tata Steel Foundation, came from different community initiatives such as health (MANSI+), livelihoods (Agriculture), women’s leadership (Disha), community enterprise (Navjeevan, Srujanika, Pragati), and Tribal Identity (Samvaad, Johar Haat).

The workshop included hands-on activities where women were taught to use AI for business promotion, product design, documentation assistance, gaining information, and skill building, with expert mentors to lead small group learning.

The project is designed to enhance women-driven development by leveraging digital inclusion along with existing community strengths and livelihood opportunities.

The event had a cultural element, where 1,600 women who were part of Tata Group initiatives along with artisans created unique shawls made from tussar silk that baked the spirit of creativity at grass-roots level together and expressed their collective identity.

Tussar silk is traditional to India's textile heritage, which was made possible because the shawls were sourced from Navjeevan, an artisan producer group supported by Tata Steel Foundation.

This initiative enabled the artisans to earn an income and provided the opportunity to demonstrate indigenous textile heritage on the national stage.

The participants of the summit were separated into cohorts depending on their digital skill set and goals. The artisans worked on AI-driven design innovations and marketing solutions; those who were digitally literate were provided information regarding how AI could assist them with; documentation, government programs, creating and promoting their businesses, and communicating through AI opportunities; and those who were highly skilled were provided assistance on scaling their businesses, developing & utilizing learning paths, and diversifying their portfolios through AI opportunities.