India's AI journey: From adoption to leadership, but impact still low

The report, titled 'India's Triple AI Imperative', estimates that AI adoption in India's 64 million MSMEs alone could unlock over $500 billion in economic value by 2030

India is at a tipping point in its AI journey, transitioning from early adoption towards potential global leadership, according to a report by BCGX and Ficci.  Only 25 per cent of Indian executives report realising tangible value from AI investments, as many companies restrict the technology to small, isolated use cases rather than full-scale transformation.  The report, titled “India’s Triple AI Imperative”, estimates that by addressing digital infrastructure gaps and pivoting to an “invent-first” mindset, AI adoption in India’s 64 million MSMEs alone could unlock over $500 billion in economic value by 2030. To reach this potential, the study outlines three strategic priorities: Transform at scale, innovate with depth, and diffuse inclusively. 

           

                                         

What India needs in AI

 

• Develop its own indigenous foundational models and hardware
• Set up over 500 AI and data labs across Tier-II and -III cities
• Businesses must embed AI into their core operations
• Bridge the “patent gap” by encouraging deep-tech research
• Provide low-cost computing power to keep the AI entry barrier low for startups