93 pc Indian CTOs driving 'future of work' amid AI adoption: Report
New Delhi, July 2
Around 93 per cent of Indian chief technology officers said their role is increasingly focused on helping organisations adapt to future ways of working, a report said on Thursday.
Around 79 per cent of CTOs said their remit now includes tasks that were not part of it a year earlier, the report from LinkedIn said.
In addition, 84 per cent of CTOs felt their role is being actively redefined in real time.
"As their responsibilities continue to evolve, CTOs are also navigating growing expectations around AI implementation and business impact," the report said.
As many as 79 per cent of respondents said their role is changing faster than their company can make decisions, while 56 per cent mentioned balancing long‑term AI transformation with short‑term performance demands as a major leadership challenge.
"With over 9 in 10 Indian CTOs acknowledging that their role has shifted toward helping organisations adapt to the future of work, technology leadership today extends far beyond managing systems and infrastructure," said Malai Lakshmanan, Head of India Engineering, LinkedIn.
"As AI adoption moves from experimentation to scale, success depends as much on people as it does on technology. Employees need the skills and confidence to make AI part of how they work every day, which is why closer collaboration between CTOs and talent leaders has become essential," Malai Lakshmanan added.
The organisations that create the most value from AI will be those that invest as heavily in workforce readiness and continuous learning as they do in technology, the report said.
'Prompt engineer' and 'AI engineer' were identified as the fastest‑growing roles in India.
The report highlighted that 81 per cent of CTOs face pressure to move faster on AI than they can effectively measure its impact.
The report said 51 per cent of CTOs view stronger CTO‑CHRO partnerships as the single most critical factor in building an effective AI-enabled workforce and 89 per cent of CTOs reported working closely with their CHROs.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, a report acknowledging CTOs beyond just tech management. Malai Lakshmanan said it right—success depends on people. In India, we have talent but need upskilling. AI adoption must come with training budgets, not just hiring prompt engineers. CHRO-CEO partnerships are key, or we'll lag behind China and US.
Is 84% feeling their role redefined in real-time a sign of chaos or agility? As an expat working in Mumbai tech, I see Indian CTOs juggling legacy systems and AI chaos. The 56% challenge of balancing long-term AI with short-term performance is real. But 81% pressure to move faster than impact measurement? That's risky.
Good report, but I worry about job security. "Prompt engineer" and "AI engineer" are growing, but what about regular developers? In Hyderabad, we see layoffs and AI hype. India must invest in continuous learning, or we'll create a divide between AI-skilled and others. CTOs should focus on inclusive upskilling, not just tools.
51% say CTO-CHRO partnership is critical—so why is it still the exception? In Indian IT, HR and tech often work in silos. This report highlights the need for integration. I hope LinkedIn's data pushes firms in Bangalore to act. Otherwise, AI will just add to the chaos.
As a CTO in a Pune startup, I feel the 79% stat—my role
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