The adoption of enterprise artificial intelligence tools in India is rising, with over 47 per cent of companies reporting that they have moved their generative AI pilots into live and working use cases. Another 23 per cent are still experimenting, according to a report released by a global accounting firm in partnership with a major industry body on November 16.
The survey titled Is India ready for Agentic AI The AIdea of India Outlook 2026 gathered inputs from senior leaders across 200 organisations. These included government bodies, public sector undertakings, startups, Indian enterprises, global capability centres and the local arms of multinational corporations.
Despite strong optimism, the report notes that investment levels remain low. While 76 per cent of business leaders believe generative AI will have a major impact and 63 per cent feel prepared to use it effectively, more than 95 per cent of organisations are spending less than 20 per cent of their IT budgets on AI and machine learning. Only four per cent of surveyed companies have allocated more than this amount. The report says this gap between belief and investment is slowing the pace at which businesses see measurable returns.
The findings come at a time when global concerns are growing around the lack of returns from enterprise AI investments. Several technology giants continue to launch tools promising automation of tasks across accounting, customer support and operations. However, surveys from various research groups show that many businesses still struggle to integrate AI into workflows, and a large number are abandoning pilot projects altogether. One major study found that 95 per cent of 300 American firms that invested billions of dollars in generative AI saw little or no returns due to weak integration.
On the jobs front, the report says that unreliability in enterprise AI systems might give the impression that the technology is far from replacing workers. However, companies appear eager to deploy AI despite its limitations. Over 91 per cent of business leaders said rapid rollout of AI tools was the biggest factor in deciding whether to buy or build solutions. Over the next year, Indian organisations expect to invest mainly in operations, customer service and marketing use cases. Around 64 per cent have already seen selective workforce transformation in standardised tasks. At the same time, 59 per cent reported shortages of AI skilled talent.
The survey also notes that enterprises are shifting towards what it describes as AI first working models, where humans and machines work together to improve decision making and speed. A majority of companies, around 60 per cent, are partnering with startups to access AI tools, with 78 per cent adopting hybrid approaches instead of relying only on in house systems.
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