India leads in Agentic AI adoption, 80% firms onboard: Deloitte report

India is emerging as a global leader in Agentic AI adoption, with over 80 per cent of businesses actively exploring the development of autonomous agents, a Deloitte report says.

Autonomous agents are AI systems that can act independently to achieve specific goals without constant human guidance. Agentic AI refers to the broader concept of using these agents to automate tasks and processes.

The growing interest in this technology reflects a significant shift in how Indian organizations are leveraging AI for innovation and efficiency.

The findings are part of Deloitte's State of GenAI (Fourth Wave) report, which provides an India-specific perspective on the adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) and Agentic AI.

"Over 80 per cent of Indian organisations are actively exploring the development of autonomous agents, indicating a substantial shift towards Agentic AI," the report said.

The report also highlighted the increasing focus on multi-agent workflows, where sub-agents collaborate under a master agent's supervision to perform goal-oriented actions. Notably, 50 per cent of Indian businesses identified these workflows as a key priority area.

The Deloitte survey covered 2,773 C-suite leaders across 14 countries.

Furthermore, around 70 per cent of firms expressed a strong desire to use GenAI for automation, and more than half of the organizations are conducting more than ten GenAI experiments.

Despite this progress, challenges remain as concerns about errors (36 per cent), bias and hallucinations (30 per cent), and data quality (30 per cent) continue to hinder large-scale deployment.

The preference for off-the-shelf AI tools -- chosen by most organizations for quick integration -- also raises concerns about limited customization and obsolescence; 28 per cent fear their current solutions may become outdated within two years.

While Indian organizations face hurdles in scaling AI initiatives, they remain optimistic about overcoming these challenges within the next two years, Deloitte says.

Strategic investments in scalable ecosystems and agile innovation approaches will be critical for sustaining growth and maintaining India's leadership in this rapidly evolving field, it said.

Businesses must build trust in AI systems by addressing concerns about errors, bias, and data quality through strong governance, Deloitte India Partner Moumita Sarker said.

"Our report indicates that most Indian organisations prefer buying AI solutions over developing them in-house. In such a case, ensuring adaptability to evolving needs is a challenge.

"Embracing an agile innovation approach is essential to stay ahead of AI advancements and optimise long-term returns. Balancing rapid adoption with sustainable strategies will be key to successful AI investment and growth," she said.