India well positioned to lead AI-driven tech future: Industry
New Delhi, Dec 27
As we move toward 2026, India's technology sector is entering a phase where scale, accountability, and outcomes matter more than momentum alone, according to industry leaders.
According to Sindhu Gangadharan, MD, SAP Labs India and Chairperson, Nasscom, the industry has built strong foundations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and digital platforms, supported by deep talent and a mature ecosystem of startups, GCCs, and global enterprises.
"The next chapter is about converting capability into sustained business and societal impact. AI adoption is becoming sharper and more grounded in real use cases. Enterprises are asking clearer questions around productivity, resilience, and trust," she mentioned.
Enterprises expect technology to integrate seamlessly into core processes, not sit at the edges as experimentation. This shift places responsibility on the industry to design solutions that are secure, explainable, and aligned with long-term value creation.
"India is well positioned to lead this phase. Our strength lies in combining engineering depth with domain understanding and scale execution. As an industry, success in 2026 will depend on how well we collaborate across ecosystems, invest in skills, and apply technology with purpose," Gangadharan mentioned.
The opportunity ahead is significant, to strengthen enterprises, empower people, and reinforce India's role as a trusted global technology partner.
By 2026, the real measure of AI success will be its ability to deliver consistent, context-aware outcomes for customers.
"We are seeing a clear shift away from generic intelligence toward AI that understands the nuances of an enterprise, its data, processes, policies, and customer behaviours. Customer-specific AI performs better because relevance drives decisions, not raw intelligence alone," she noted.
As enterprises look ahead, the focus is clear. AI must move from novelty to reliability. The strongest advantage will come from intelligence that genuinely understands how a business operates and how it serves its customers every day.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Absolutely agree with the shift from 'generic intelligence' to context-aware AI. In a diverse country like India, a one-size-fits-all solution never works. Our tech needs to understand local languages, customs, and business practices to be truly effective.
The focus on accountability and outcomes is key. For too long, tech has been about buzzwords. If AI can actually improve farmer yields, streamline government services, or make healthcare accessible, that's real progress. Hope the execution matches the vision.
Working with Indian tech teams from the US, I can vouch for the engineering depth mentioned. The collaborative ecosystem between startups and GCCs is unique. If they crack the 'domain understanding' part for global markets, they will be unstoppable.
While the article is optimistic, I have a respectful criticism. We talk a lot about being a 'trusted global partner,' but data privacy laws and implementation need to be rock-solid to earn that trust globally. That foundation is as important as the AI itself.
"Scale execution" is our superpower! From UPI to Aadhaar, we've shown we can build for billions. Applying that to AI, especially in sectors like agriculture and logistics, can be a game-changer for the economy. The future looks bright! ✨
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.