AI will not diminish role of IT services: Tech Mahindra's Anand Mahindra

The Tech Mahindra chairman said AI will transform rather than replace IT services and called for India to build sovereign AI capabilities through trusted innovation

Anand Mahindra, chairman, Tech Mahindra, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will not kill IT services but only make it more important.

 

“At the very outset, let me tackle the elephant in the room — which is the prediction that the rise of AI will kill IT services in India. Every major technology cycle creates such anxieties. My answer, however, is clear, the role of IT services will not diminish. It will change, of course. And in many ways, it will become more important,” he said while addressing shareholders at the 39th annual general meeting (AGM) of Tech Mahindra.

 

He further said that over four decades, Tech Mahindra has repeatedly adapted to new technology cycles, client expectations and global realities.

 

 

He added, “The chapter ahead may in fact be the most consequential yet. AI will challenge old models, but it will also create one of the largest opportunities our industry has ever seen which is to help enterprises and nations convert intelligence into trusted impact.”

 

He compared AI to smartphones. Smartphones are only indispensable because of apps, and the connectivity that brings them to life.

 

“In the AI era, companies like Tech Mahindra provide just that enabling layer — turning a very powerful technology into an intelligent business partner that delivers real value,” he said.

 

Mahindra also highlighted that deploying AI into enterprise ecosystem is a complex process.

 

“What will truly differentiate an enterprise is its own “alpha” as it’s known — which is its data, workflows, judgement and domain knowledge. And, our role at Tech Mahindra is to help preserve that alpha through platforms, solutions and workflows that sit above and around the model,” he added.

 

He pointed to the recent performance of the company, which has been transforming under chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Mohit Joshi.

 

Mahindra said the company has delivered margin expansion despite a volatile environment. “The deal wins are exceeding a billion dollars in successive quarters...,” he said.

 

He added that clients will need partners who understand that AI transformation is not a technology project alone. It is a business, talent and operating model transformation.

 

“Our view is that the enterprise of tomorrow will not be all-human or all-AI. It will be built on human judgement amplified by AI capability. To bring this vision to life, your company has embarked on Project Helix. Through this programme, Vector Squads will interweave human expertise with AI agents, like two strands of DNA, combining domain knowledge, engineering depth, governance and responsible AI practices around each client’s context,” he said.

 

Mahindra also called out that India cannot be only a consumer of intelligence built elsewhere. It must also be a creator, shaper and trusted deployer of intelligence.

 

“India has a unique advantage in this respect — it is something that what I have long called denial-driven innovation. The best “can do” spirit often emerges when we are told we cannot do something or we are denied a technology,” he said.

 

He shared the story of the PARAM supercomputer. Denied access to Cray systems in the 1980s, C-DAC built an indigenous machine in just three years, at a fraction of the cost.

 

“Within a decade, India was exporting supercomputers to other countries. That very same instinct must now be brought to Sovereign AI: Not isolation, not dependence, but indigenous capability, trusted collaboration, and the ability to build, adapt and govern critical AI systems on our own terms,” he said.

 

“In this context, Tech Mahindra’s selection under the India AI Mission is a responsibility that we take very seriously,” he stated.

 

Tech Mahindra is ready for that opportunity, he added.