Over 800 Indian enterprises are leveraging Microsoft's Azure OpenAI platform to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations and build new cases, Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, said at the CII International Conference on Artificial Intelligence on Friday, according to an ET report.
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AI's Role Within Microsoft
Within Microsoft, AI and copilots are enhancing productivity, delivering a 10 percent boost in sales efficiency, 20 percent higher win rates, and 40 percent faster customer service resolutions, Chandok reportedly noted.
"India is both we're building the technology, we're innovating, but we're also diffusing technology like never before, from classrooms to boardrooms, from commerce to communities and farmlands," Chandok was quoted as saying in the report.
India's AI-First Vision for 2047
For India to reach its goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047, it has to become an AI-first nation, he reportedly said. Empathy and agency are being built into AI and every industry and function is being reinvented.
According to the report, the CII National AI Forum's focus areas include awareness, adoption, invention, and regulation of AI.
A survey by CII and Protiviti, released at the event, found that over half of Indian enterprises plan to expand AI adoption. While 60 percent are prepared for AI integration, 38 percent remain in early stages. However, AI governance remains a challenge, with only 23 percent of enterprises implementing ethics frameworks. Notably, over 40 percent of firms are open to external AI audits and bias assessments as they adopted AI.
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Top AI Technologies in Use
The report highlighted that predictive AI (81 percent), conversational chatbots (56 percent), and machine learning (48 percent) are the most widely used AI technologies. Among potential technologies being assessed, generative AI (74 percent) and agentic AI (58 percent) were reportedly the top choices of respondents.
Key Challenges in AI Adoption
The top four challenges in AI adoption, according to the report, include ethical concerns, bias, legal risks, a shortage of skilled AI professionals, high implementation costs, and data privacy issues. Sectors like business process outsourcing (BPO) could see job losses due to AI, warned Sachin Tayal, Managing Director at Protiviti India, according to the report. He added that, if not an overarching law, India should explore an "AI code" outlining major risks related to data for AI training and consumer protection.
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Regulatory Debates
Experts debated AI regulations, with calls for a sectoral approach rather than an overarching law. According to the report, Rohit Chauhan, Director of Corporate Affairs for India at TCS, said India's AI regulations should be sectoral and use case-driven. Kishore Balaji, Executive Director of Government Affairs at IBM, said existing laws cover most harms already, and what's needed is a national strategy on AI skilling.
SAP's Lovneesh Chanana suggested India take cues from global AI guidelines, such as Japan's AI and copyright framework, and tailor them to local needs, the report said.
