AI’s growth surge spurs global investments and caution, says NTT DATA’s John Lombard

The global AI boom is creating ripple effects unlike anything seen in decades across industries, geographies, and enterprises—and India is squarely at the centre of this shift. According to John Lombard, CEO Asia Pacific, NTT DATA, artificial intelligence is not only altering the way technology companies operate, but it’s also reshaping boardroom conversations, talent strategies, infrastructure investments, and sustainability efforts.

“This is the most exciting time to be in the technology industry,” says Lombard in a conversation with Fortune India. “AI is transforming our industry and creating opportunities to have conversations with clients that we haven't had before.” He likens today’s AI inflection point to the arrival of electricity in terms of its transformative potential.

India’s dual role

For NTT DATA, India plays a dual role—both as a key domestic market and as a global talent and innovation hub. The country is among the company’s top 10 markets globally, not only in terms of business but also in capabilities. Lombard explains that India is central to their internal services and talent strategy, with Indian teams supporting clients across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

NTT DATA's recent investment in India in the last few years totals around 3 billion, and another half a billion dollars is planned for the current fiscal year, much of it directed towards infrastructure and AI innovation. This includes expanded data centre and network capabilities and the deployment of innovative technologies like IOWN - an Innovative Optical and Wireless Network system designed to achieve ultra-high capacity, ultra-low latency, and ultra-low power consumption, that will drastically reduce energy use in AI data processing environments.

“We’re leveraging India as an AI innovation hub,” says Lombard, noting that many of NTT DATA's AI specialists—30,000 are planned globally—will be based in India.

A key piece of the company’s recent India activity was the launch of the MIST cable network, an 8,000-kilometre optical fibre link connecting India with Southeast Asia and integrated into NTT’s Mumbai data centre. “India is easy to do business in for us, and it’s also one of the most innovation-forward countries when it comes to adopting new technologies,” adds Lombard.

Skills over scale

While India has long been viewed as a volume play for global IT services—largely for its massive workforce—the AI revolution is shifting the narrative toward specialisation. As AI tools become more sophisticated, the emphasis is moving from sheer numbers to deep capability.

“It's only going to be a good thing for India,” says Lombard, adding that upskilling is already underway within NTT DATA. “We’re rolling out an AI transformation programme across our 200,000 employees globally, and we plan to have 30,000 specialists with deep AI skills. A large proportion of them will be in India.”

But the scale and pace of reskilling required are immense. Lombard says that organisations must take on the responsibility of training employees, but individuals also have a role to play in learning and experimenting with the tools.

AI’s opportunity and responsibility gap

As companies rush to embed AI in everything from customer service to supply chains, concerns around ethics, sustainability, and security are surfacing in boardrooms across the globe. NTT DATA's recent “The AI Responsibility Gap” report surveyed nearly 3,000 organisations and found that a third of executives prioritised innovation over risk, another third prioritised risk over innovation, and the remaining third were undecided—highlighting a growing debate in boardrooms.

“There’s a boardroom battle,” says Lombard. “The regulatory framework remains unclear for most, and over 80% of leaders say it’s hindering investment.”

The survey also revealed that nearly 90% of respondents were worried about AI-related security threats, but only 24% had adequate security infrastructure in place. Meanwhile, 67% of organisations said their workforce lacked AI-ready skills, and 72% lacked policies for responsible AI use.

This makes India’s push to become a global AI hub even more relevant, especially if the country can lead on regulatory clarity. “India has a real opportunity to help define frameworks and adopt them quickly, given how tech-forward Indian businesses already are,” says Lombard.

Furthermore, he says that AI adoption is being shaped by a clear set of enterprise expectations—hyper-personalisation, speed, security, data-driven decisions, and omni-channel experiences. Customers increasingly want tailored services, especially in finance and healthcare, while businesses seek faster ROI and agile deployment. “They're not wanting to wait years to adopt an AI solution,” he says. At the same time, there’s heightened focus on secure-by-design systems amid rising privacy concerns, and on using AI-powered analytics to make more informed decisions.

“These are not abstract trends—we’re already seeing them play out in customer discussions and actual deployments, including in India,” he adds.

Challenges to scaling

Despite the surge in interest, many Indian companies are still stuck in the pilot phase of AI adoption. Lombard believes the reasons are not unique to India.

“It’s the classic questions—does the return warrant the investment? Will it improve outcomes for customers or employees? Is the regulatory environment stable enough?” he says. “These are the same concerns we hear globally.”

On the other end, one of the most pressing concerns around AI is its environmental cost. In India, 60% of NTT's data centres already run on renewable energy, with a goal of hitting 100% by 2030.

“AI can also support sustainability efforts,” Lombard shares. “For example, in smart factories or cities, automation can reduce unnecessary energy use. Predictive maintenance can cut waste, and AI can help optimise electricity distribution in grids.”

On the big picture, Lombard acknowledges that while no one can predict where AI will take the world in a decade, its short-term impacts are very real and growing. “Anyone who says they know where we’ll be in 10 years is stretching it,” he admits.

As for the much-feared job displacement, he is cautiously optimistic. “There will be short-term displacement in some roles—paralegals, data processors, back-office tasks—but I believe new roles will emerge. And even existing roles will evolve. AI won’t replace human, but the humans using AI will replace those who aren’t.”