On this AI Appreciation Day, we’re not just celebrating a technology — we’re embracing a new era of possibility. One where human brilliance and machine intelligence walk side by side, solving real-world problems and reimagining the future — together.
India’s AI journey is still emerging, with 49% of organizations currently evaluating or planning adoption. This signals a meaningful shift from hype to tangible impact, as enterprises focus on building a strong foundation for sustainable growth. On this AI Appreciation Day, it is time for organizations to move beyond experiments and embrace AI as a core driver of growth, inclusion, and real-world value.
On this year’s AI Appreciation Day, India sits at a pivotal point in its artificial intelligence journey: from early experiments to a broader, ROI-driven adoption across enterprises. While only 23% of Indian businesses had fully implemented AI solutions by early 2025, surveys show an ambitious outlook, with a resounding 73% planning to work with AI tech within the year—a signal of accelerating but still maturing adoption. Meanwhile, Lenovo’s 2025 study underscores that 49% of organizations are now either evaluating or moving to implement AI in the next 12 months, mirroring the global average and showing a marked rise in investments—growing 2.7x in India over recent years.
According to Ministry of Electronics & IT, India’s AI market size is forecast to reach $28.8 billion by the end of 2025, driven by robust talent pipelines and a sharp focus on GenAI, which is set to account for 43% of all AI spending this year. Yet, the journey is far from uniform. The NASSCOM AI Adoption Index highlights that while critical sectors like BFSI, retail, health, and industry are steadily adopting AI, true enterprise-wide maturity remains sector-specific and nascent by global standards. IBM study on AI Outlook for 2025 revealed that barriers—like ROI concerns, infrastructure readiness, and lack of specialized AI expertise—are giving way gradually, while ethical governance and data quality rise up the priority list for Indian CIOs.
Still, the mood is unmistakably optimistic. Leaders from startups and multinational giants alike agree: the coming year will see India push AI from pilot to pragmatism, leveraging its vast talent, inclusive aspirations, and inventive spirit to unlock smarter business, resilient infrastructure, and unprecedented inclusivity.
AI as a Business Imperative
Today, AI is driving real-world business transformation across sectors — from route optimization and financial inclusion to advanced content delivery. Here’s what India’s digital business leaders have to say-
Sectors and businesses, including accounting and finance, cybersecurity, sales, supply chain, logistics, and IT operations, are leveraging AI’s ability to process vast data volumes, generate content, bridge skill gaps, and handle complexity to scale operations. says, Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO & Founder, LogiNext.
“For years, SMEs weren’t intentionally excluded—they were underserved by traditional financial channels. Digital payments and infrastructure opened the door to inclusion. Now, AI is accelerating that progress by enabling data-driven support to help merchants run smarter businesses. At Mintoak, we see AI not just as automation, but as a tool for deeper engagement and real empowerment—driving a more inclusive, responsive financial ecosystem.”
— Raman Khanduja, CEO & Co-founder, Mintoak“AI isn’t just about building smarter systems—it’s about enabling more responsive, agile businesses. At DCT, whether we’re supporting OTT platforms or building Global Capability Centres, AI helps us deliver with greater precision and speed. But it’s not a standalone solution. Real impact comes from integrating AI with engineering, domain expertise, and strong execution. On AI Appreciation Day, we recognize the teams behind the scenes who turn potential into real results.”
— Vineet Dhawan, CEO, DCT Inc.Jay Modh, Founder & CEO of Intuitive.Cloud. “India is not just a talent hub; it’s emerging as a global engine of applied AI innovation. It’s estimated that AI could contribute over $500 billion to the Indian economy and $4 Trillion to the world economy in the near term, underscoring the scale of transformation already underway. The priority now isn’t adoption but orchestration, for high-quality data, responsible AI, security, and governance delivering measurable business outcomes.
Empowering the Workforce: AI in Upskilling and Career Transformation
As industries evolve at breakneck speed, staying relevant means continuously learning, adapting, and growing. AI is playing a pivotal role in this shift—delivering hyper-personalized, on-demand learning experiences that empower professionals to upskill, switch careers, or deepen their expertise right from where they are. From AI-powered mentors to intelligent learning platforms, the future of education is not just accessible—it’s adaptive, continuous, and deeply personal.
“With the rapid evolution of the EdTech ecosystem, AI allows us to deliver deeply personalized, on-demand learning experiences that empower professionals to learn anytime, anywhere. We have created our own Simplimentor, an AI-powered career coach, supporting learners whether through career switches or upskilling in their current roles.”– Jitendra Kumar, Chief Technology Officer, Simplilearn.
AI in Cybersecurity & Risk
As AI empowers defenders and bad actors alike, cybersecurity leaders are doubling down on governance, trust, and real-time intelligence.
Organisations need their own, powerful multimodal AI security that can detect and neutralize AI-based attacks regardless of whether they are delivered in an image or a QR code, and even if the language and sender seem completely legitimate.”– Parag Khurana, Country Manager, India, Barracuda Networks.
Chetan Jain, Founding Executive Director, and Managing Director, Inspira Enterprise, says “It is important to note that while GenAI is a valuable tool for cybersecurity, it is also being used maliciously by cybercriminals to launch sophisticated cyberattacks. Organizations have to utilize an robust AI governance framework and implement robust security solutions to address threats posed by GenAI, while establishing digital trust to enable a safer and smarter future.”
“With GenAI revolutionizing creativity and interaction, and Agentic AI stepping in as autonomous decision-makers, the cloud has gone beyond infrastructure — it’s now the launchpad for intelligence”.- Rahul S Kurkure, Founder and Director of Cloud.in
AI Infrastructure & Enterprise Readiness
The future of AI is not only intelligent; it’s hybrid, orchestrated, and edge-ready. Here’s how tech giants are laying the groundwork for scalable innovation.
Amit Luthra, Managing Director, Lenovo ISG India– “AI Appreciation Day is a timely reminder that AI is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s a business-critical imperative today. Yet, many organizations are limited not by vision, but by the realities of their infrastructure and readiness.”
“By fusing search with AI, companies can unlock the full potential of their structured and unstructured data to make better decisions, maximise efficiency and elevate customer experiences. As India seeks to establish itself as a leader in AI through the IndiaAI Mission, Elastic is proud to support the country’s AI vision with technologies that are open, adaptive, and capable of providing a real-time, complete view of all data.”- Karthik Rajaram, Area Vice President & General Manager, Elastic India.
“By empowering Indian businesses to derive AI-driven insights securely while retaining full control over their infrastructure, we are supporting greater agility, compliance, and insight-driven innovation. This aligns seamlessly with Digital India’s goals and the nation’s digital upskilling efforts,” said Mayank Baid, Regional Vice President, India & South Asia, Cloudera.
“As AI adoption accelerates, enterprises need more than models — they need orchestration, oversight, and alignment with real-world business outcomes. The move from experimentation to integration hinges on trust, and we’re proud to help build that foundation.” – João Moura, CEO, CrewAI.
Responsible, Ethical, and Private AI
Privacy, ethical guardrails, and inclusive access are defining the next evolution of AI. These leaders shed light on building trusted ecosystems.”
“The future with AI feels even more promising. It holds the power to augment human potential and help us achieve in months or weeks what once took years. And with Private AI in the picture, some of the biggest blockers, like data exposure and security, are no longer standing in the way.” – Praveer Kochhar, Co-Founder; CPO, KOGO AI.
As AI continues to evolve, so must our commitment to ethical development and transparent use. The advancement of technology must align with human values, ensuring AI is used responsibly to support fairness, security, and inclusivity. Its true strength lies in its ability to enhance human capability, amplifying vision, accelerating action, and addressing challenges that demand precision and speed.- . Padmakumar Nair, Founder and CEO, Ennoventure, Inc.
Dinesh Ajmera – Site Leader and VP Of Engineering, Confluent India– “AI’s real promise for India lies not in replacing human hands, but in extending human potential—transforming our vast talent, curiosity, and entrepreneurial spirit into unstoppable momentum. Its impact will grow when it becomes part of daily life for every worker, educator, farmer, and student. That means meaningful education, training in local languages, and real opportunities to use AI to solve problems, learn faster, and make better decisions. We must create systems that support curiosity with access and turn ambition into action.
Public Services, Visa Tech & Infrastructure
“With AI moving into infrastructure and citizen-centric services, the public-tech interface is being redefined to be smarter and more secure.-
“AI’s real strength lies in its ability to unify systems and enable them to work in sync. When this intelligence is embedded across the environment, it improves safety, simplifies operations, and reduces friction for all stakeholders.”- Aditya Prabhu, CEO, Secutech Automations.
“From automating documentation to verifying identity and enhancing user experience, AI-powered tools are reducing turnaround times and improving efficiency, thereby helping the visa processing firms to handle the surge in visa applications resulting from the exponential growth in global mobility over the last two decades“- Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Partner, BLS International.
Conclusion: From Possibility to Purpose — India’s AI Moment Has Arrived
As these diverse voices show, AI in India has graduated from mere experimentation to meaningful execution. Across industries — from logistics and cybersecurity to financial inclusion and public services — AI is no longer just augmenting systems; it’s empowering human potential, decision-making, and resilience.
What stands out across every quote is a unifying belief: AI’s true strength lies not in its complexity, but in how simply and responsibly it can enhance lives at scale. Whether it’s route optimization, inclusion for small businesses, or building secure global infrastructures, AI is driving impact that’s visible, measurable, and deeply human.
But with this opportunity comes responsibility. As we enter the next phase of AI maturity, India’s challenge is not just mass adoption — it’s thoughtful implementation. Businesses must move beyond pilots and proofs-of-concept to full-fledged, ethical, governed AI systems that prioritize transparency, data integrity, and value-driven outcomes.
India holds an extraordinary advantage — a vibrant startup ecosystem, a digitally aware population, strong engineering talent, and bold national initiatives like Digital India and IndiaAI. When this is combined with strategic AI investment, responsible innovation, and equitable access, what we unlock isn’t just smarter systems — it’s a smarter, more inclusive society.
On this AI Appreciation Day, we’re not just celebrating a technology — we’re embracing a new era of possibility. One where human brilliance and machine intelligence walk side by side, solving real-world problems and reimagining the future — together.
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