Industry Need to Step Up and Invest Aggressively in Research and Development, Says Sunil Mittal: Report

Industry Need to Step Up and Invest Aggressively in Research and Development, Says Sunil Mittal
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a generational shift, with its impact far greater than the internet, that touches almost every aspect of our lives, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025. Highlighting its sweeping influence across sectors, Mittal cautioned that while AI promises new opportunities, it also presents significant challenges—particularly for employment in a young nation like India. He outlined four key areas requiring immediate focus.

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CII Annual Business Summit 2025

Speaking at the summit, the former president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) noted that the emergence of AI is already disrupting traditional job roles, especially in software engineering. “Even a layperson can now speak to a machine to write code,” he said, according to an Economic Times report.

“India has the largest workforce, the youngest developing in the world. There are 20 million children in the age group six to sixteen. In ten year’s time, they will be sixteen to twenty-six, each wanting a job. AI will create difficulties in that area. Some parts are clearly visible today,” Mittal reportedly said.

Despite the looming challenges, Mittal asserted that AI will also create new job opportunities and that leveraging this technology is imperative for India’s growth. “Using AI will become absolutely important for everyone, especially in emerging countries like India,” he said.

Call for Policy Support

Calling for stronger policy support, Mittal urged the government to create an enabling environment to drive industrial growth. He presented a set of recommendations to ease regulatory hurdles, including reforms in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), improvements in the Ease of Doing Business, and a more competitive corporate tax regime.