What are some key milestones or developments at Microsoft that have stood out recently?

The three Indian IT majors have each scaled Microsoft 365 Copilot seats to one lakh employees, with a collective deployment across roughly three lakh engineers. This is one of the largest and fastest enterprise AI roll-outs globally on Microsoft. It’s the strongest real-world proof of enterprise AI at scale. We’re moving from pilots and experimentation to real scale, with Copilot becoming the connective tissue across these three-lakh-plus engineers. Enterprises are moving from experimentation to real scale, sustained usage and deep integration. It’s also a clear signal that enterprise AI has arrived in India at scale. India is setting the pace for Asia. It’s amongst the fastest-moving markets globally for Copilot and AI adoption.

AI is no longer a side project or a vision; it is how work is getting done in these businesses, and how work is measured. About 49 per cent of Copilot usage we are seeing is cognitive work, which is real analysis, creative thinking and problem-solving; 58 per cent of users tell us they can do what they couldn’t a year ago.

Copilot is becoming the UI for AI across all knowledge workers. And it’s not just 2x Copilot growth that we’re excited about. This is the real-world proof of AI and Copilots being embedded into workflows and how work gets done across IT services across sectors in the country.

What tangible business outcomes and productivity improvements have emerged from these large-scale Copilot deployments?

Infosys has 91 per cent monthly active users (MAU) of Copilot. AI agents are now embedded at Infosys across delivery and engineering, across all the corporate functions. At TCS, 86 per cent active usage on Copilot every day, 20-25 per cent productivity gains in research and content, 2x faster insight generation, 25-35 per cent reduction in selective work-cycle time. Wipro’s MAU is 95 per cent. They’re saving 250,000-plus FTE days every quarter.

Wipro has democratised AI development across its workforce, with more than 29,000 end-user developed agents and over 60 enterprise-grade agentic solutions now in use across various functions. Purpose-built agents are reshaping core processes, with Wipro’s appraisal agent reducing performance review effort by nearly 70 per cent through evidence-based goal tracking.

What is the current state of enterprise AI adoption in India? Which sectors are leading the charge and investing in AI?

This is an operating model shift and a fundamental redesign of enterprise work. We are seeing the emergence of Frontier Firms in India, which are human-led, but agent-operated. They bring data and enterprise value together. IT Services is leading the pack because AI is core to what they do. But across sectors, BFSI, public sector and digital natives are all integrating AI across their workflows. That is a decisive shift towards enterprise-wide AI adoption at scale. We’re calling this the new agency equation — the more agentic AI you deploy, the more human agency you have. As AI and agents take on execution work, our own agency as humans will expand. The opportunity for human potential at work has never been higher.

Is large-scale AI adoption giving Indian IT services firms a competitive edge globally? At a time when differentiation matters, how is AI helping these companies stand out?

This is happening in multiple ways. First, they’re making the engineers more productive, meaning productivity benefits. Engineers have more time for more value-added work. Second, it’s reducing cycle times and helping enterprises do things faster for customers, which in turn allows them to do more. It’s also allowing employees to deliver more value-added work to customers than before. So it’s not just the number of seats or Copilots, but the impact delivered to customers, which is significantly ahead of what it was.

Has the appetite for AI investment changed in light of the current global uncertainty, or does the momentum remain intact?

We all have to be aware of the environment we are operating in. But India is already one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for Copilots, leading the pack. There has been sustained double-digit growth over the last few years. People are using this to think about how they become Frontier Firms, and how to get AI to work for them to increase productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. There is significant growth across our platforms, Copilots, Azure and our service lines. That’s the reason we’re investing in India. We’ve also announced a $17.5-billion investment over the next four years to equip 20 million Indians with essential AI skills by 2030.

There is growing optimism that India could become a major beneficiary of the global AI infrastructure build-out. What role will Microsoft’s investments play in that journey?

There are three ways to look at this. We are building the right infrastructure in the country for AI to meet India’s needs. We’re also building the largest data centre footprint in the country. Hyderabad, our next region, is going live soon. We’re building the largest AI data centre capacity in the country to ensure India has the right infrastructure. Second is talent, which is scaling. India is the largest classroom in the world. How do we train Indians to use AI the right way? Third is enterprise adoption, which is where India is leading. Taken together, these three factors give strong reason for optimism about India’s AI future.

Where do these milestones place India in Microsoft’s global strategy?

India is one of the most exciting markets today in the world for tech and AI, be it infrastructure talent and skilling, or enterprise AI adoption. These factors make India one of the most exciting markets for us. That’s the reason we invest in building in India. We’re seeing significant growth, so we’re excited about what we’re building and doing with customers. In some cases, we’re leading across Asia and setting the template for enterprise-scale AI adoption not just in the global South, but the world.

Many workers worry that AI could lead to job losses as companies seek greater efficiency. Is that concern justified? Is Microsoft expanding its workforce in India?

AI is reducing repetitive work, not eliminating roles. Rule-based tasks are getting automated, allowing us to lift human potential to do more higher-value-added thinking and decision-making work. The nature of work is shifting across functions. For example, if there’s less time on routine execution, it allows more problem-solving and creative work. Skills are becoming more important than job titles, and careers will become more fluid. We will move across roles more quickly based on the skills we bring to the table. We are also excited about new roles like AI workflow designers, agent managers, AI trainers and evaluators. The key for us is adaptability. Anybody willing to learn fast and apply AI to work will come out on the right side of this equation. We continue to hire in areas where we’re seeing customer demand and where we’re building new capabilities across the board.