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Happy Thursday! Hiring in artificial intelligence (AI) roles is set to grow this fiscal, bucking tech industry trends. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

Also in the letter:
■ Apple’s India pivot
■ Winzo FY24 results
■ Freshworks’ Q1 recovery
IT may add 35-45% more AI roles in FY26 as deployments rise

Artificial intelligence (AI) remains a buzzword in the job market, and data from staffing firms shows that AI-related roles are poised to grow by 45% in FY26, defying the broader slowdown in tech hiring.

Data decoded:

• According to Quess IT Staffing, AI roles, such as machine learning engineers, data scientists, AI research scientists and AI product managers, will face a talent crunch.
• Many of these roles are expected to see 50% year-on-year growth.
• By 2027, India is projected to add 2.3 million AI jobs.

Researchers attribute this surge to the AI-fication of the tech landscape, driven by rising client investment, rapid cloud adoption, and the evolution of generative AI.

Evolving jobs:

• Teamlease Digital said client-facing AI consulting and domain-integrated AI roles will significantly grow in FY26.
• Niche profiles like GenAI specialists are already commanding salary hikes of up to 50%, while lateral hires in AI and machine learning engineers are seeing increases of 20-30% hikes,

Yes, but: This boom in AI hiring contrasts with a broader decline in tech recruitment as IT services firms reduce hiring mandates amid global uncertainty. Demand fell nearly 20% quarter-to-quarter in January-March. Still, experts say selective hiring for high-skill AI roles will continue to rise.

Expert take: “While hiring for AI is a necessity, it is also an expensive undertaking that may not go with the conservative stance on operating costs,” cautioned Kamal Karanth, cofounder, Xpheno, which sees the AI hiring outlook for the IT services players as low to moderate in the current scenario.
India, Pak hackers trade codes and command in digital firefight

Rising tensions between India and Pakistan since last week’s Pahalgam terror attack have spilled over into cyberspace, with multiple groups on either side engaging in hacking and cyberattacks.

Logging in:

• Earlier this month, the pro-India hacktivist group ‘India Cyber Force’ claimed responsibility for breaching several Pakistani government and private sector databases.
• Before that, the Pakistan-based group ‘Team Insane Pak’ hacked the website of the Indian Army College of Nursing, leaving provocative messages.
• Cyber experts have flagged a malicious PDF file circulating in India titled ‘Report and Update Regarding Pahalgam Terror Attack.pdf’.

Trend emerging: Indian officials told us they have thwarted multiple attacks originating from Pakistan over the past week. Experts also reported a 10-15% rise in malicious ad placements featuring Pakistani flags on OTT websites.

Dhiraj Gupta, cofounder of fraud detection agency mFilterIt, noted that during such periods, social media bot activity is often part of “well-orchestrated campaigns to influence narratives, deepen divisions, or simply create chaos.”

Also Read: India blocks Pakistani YouTube channels after Pahalgam terror attack
Apple exports 97.6% of iPhones to US from India amid tariffs: Report

Anticipating steeper tariffs on Chinese imports, Apple ramped up iPhone production in India, with 97.6% of its US-bound shipments originating from the country in March 2025, according to a new report.

This marks a sharp rise from India’s 82% share in the three months before February 2025.

Driving the news: A S&P Global Market Intelligence report revealed that iPhone exports from India surged 219% in March as Apple scaled up its operations there.

The report added that Apple could entirely shift its US-bound export operations from mainland China to India by 2026. Currently, Tata Electronics, Pegatron and Foxconn are the company’s key suppliers in India.

More numbers: According to data from a leading market research firm, iPhone exports from India to the US rose to 4.43 million units in March, up from 1.71 million in February.

India in focus:

• Before the trade war began, Apple underutilised India as a manufacturing hub. Of the 75.9 million iPhones sold in 2024, just 3.1 million were produced in India.
• Apple would need to either double shipments from existing facilities or divert units intended for domestic sales to scale up.
• However, India-based production remains heavily reliant on China for components.

Taking note: "The move requires substantial investment and collaboration from contract manufacturers including Tata Electronics, supported by India's production-linked incentive schemes. While India has streamlined foreign investment processes, actualising these investments could take months," S&P said.

Also Read: India is now shipping Apple components to China & Vietnam. Thanks to 'Make in India'
Other Top Stories By Our Reporters
Paavan Nanda, CEO, Winzo

Online gaming startup Winzo reports 70% jump in FY24 revenue amid regulatory headwinds: Homegrown online gaming startup Winzo posted a 70% rise in operating revenue to Rs 1,055.2 crore for the financial year ended March 2024, overcoming a challenging regulatory landscape for India’s online gaming sector.

Freshworks Q1 shows recovery signals, narrows loss sharply: Nasdaq-listed software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm Freshworks reported a 19% year-on-year increase in revenue to $196.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, up from $165.1 million a year earlier, while sharply reducing its losses.

Health food brand Anveshan raises Rs 48 crore: Health food brand Anveshan raised Rs 48 crore in a funding round led by Wipro Consumer Care Ventures. The round, comprising both primary and secondary capital, also saw participation from existing investors.
Global Picks We Are Reading
■ WhatsApp is walking a tightrope between AI features and privacy ( Wired)

■ Musk needs to become a more normal CEO ( FT)

■ Inside the spectacular rise and crash of India’s largest EV company ( Rest of World)