India is no longer experimenting with artificial intelligence but leading in its adoption, according to Adrian Johnston, president for Asia Pacific at American software firm ServiceNow.
Speaking at the company’s Exec Circle event in Mumbai, Johnston said India’s combination of digital talent, government support and corporate ambition is helping accelerate AI deployment across industries. “Speed alone won’t define success. What matters now is building right and building for outcomes together,” he said.
In a discussion with Aarthi Subramanian, chief operating officer, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Johnston highlighted how India’s largest IT services company is embedding AI into its operations.
According to Subramanian, TCS is equipping about 600,000 employees with AI tools and encouraging adoption through hackathons, internal “AI Fridays” and coaching sessions. She said creating an “AI-first culture” is critical for moving beyond pilots and proofs of concept.
Subramanian also pointed to small, agile “rapid builder” teams that deliver outcomes within weeks, as well as the need for senior leaders to take an active role in learning and applying AI technologies. “Future relevance demands more than oversight, it requires investing personal time to learn, apply and champion AI,” she said.
Johnston said the examples illustrate how Indian firms are seeking to scale AI responsibly and emphasised that partnerships between enterprises and technology providers will be central to that effort.
India has seen a surge of investment in AI across sectors from financial services to healthcare, with both multinational and domestic firms testing applications ranging from customer service to software development. Johnston said the challenge now lies in moving from experimentation to large-scale, secure deployment that delivers measurable business results.
Industry reports estimate that AI could contribute nearly $500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025, driven by advances in automation, data analytics and generative AI. The government’s IndiaAI mission, launched this year with an outlay of over ₹10,000 crore, aims to fund research, create compute infrastructure and foster startups in the space.
With over 1.5 million engineers graduating annually and a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, industry observers believe India is uniquely positioned to harness AI.
