Why AI-powered services will become the backbone of enterprise transformation

Persistent global volatility is pressuring corporates to relook at their strategies to ensure long-term profitability and sustained growth. While traditional levers of efficiency provide short-term gains, industry reports confirm that these hard-won savings erode within two years. Companies are realising that without intelligent, interconnected workflows, they are vulnerable to challenges like inflation, regulatory changes, and competitive disruption. To truly protect margins and unlock new sources of growth, businesses must rethink their strategies from the ground up.

What’s emerging is a new standard: intelligent, interconnected workflows powered by AI. Instead of treating AI as a separate digital project, organisations are embedding it into their core operations. This layer of intelligence ensures faster, data-driven decision-making, better risk management, and lasting resilience that withstands external shocks.

The evolution of enterprise transformation

This shift is most visible in the Business Process Services (BPS) sector that handles everything from finance and procurement to customer service and compliance for global enterprises. In the AI era, BPS is moving away from simply processing high volumes of transactions to delivering real business outcomes including improved productivity, innovation, and resilience. It’s no surprise that the sector is projected to reach $560 billion globally by 2033, according to a recent Business Research Insights report.

Tomorrow’s BPS operating model will feature intelligent, interconnected workflows and cross-functional AI squads. These models will enable adaptive workflows that predict, analyse, and optimise processes, moving beyond simply executing predetermined steps. AI-powered BPS is becoming the vital insight layer for companies worldwide, turning BPS providers into strategic partners.

The evolved BPS model aims to weave AI into every layer of the enterprise, from processes and tools to products and services, ensuring that technology becomes a natural part of how the business operates.

• Procurement teams will simultaneously renegotiate contracts and assess supplier reliability using AI.

• Finance departments will combine predictive analytics with traditional budgeting.

• Manufacturing units will deploy AI to anticipate demand fluctuations and optimise production schedules.

• Compliance teams will benefit from interpretation and adherence to industry-specific regulations and compliance requirements, especially in sectors like BFSI and healthcare

However, technology alone is not enough. An AI-powered workforce remains the driving force behind any transformation. Businesses should invest in continuous learning so employees can shift to higher-value work, combining deep domain knowledge with strong digital skills. In India, this also translates to the future workforce as well. The country is the undisputed leader in delivering BPS, with a domestic industry worth over $50 billion and employing millions. Its young, tech-savvy workforce is uniquely positioned to excel in AI-infused environments—provided companies invest heavily in upskilling.

As we look to the future, human-AI collaboration will become the norm: employees will move from repetitive, rule-based tasks to higher-value work that requires judgment, creativity, and problem-solving—supported by AI insights. Roles will be redesigned so that people and machines work together, unlocking new levels of efficiency and innovation.

The competitive edge in a volatile market

As the BPS sector stands on the threshold of its next evolution, the path forward is about purposeful transformation. For leaders, this means starting with a clear-eyed assessment of their organisation’s unique strengths, challenges, and ambitions. The journey begins by designing an AI roadmap that is tailored, actionable, and aligned with business priorities. The focus should be on investments that strengthen decision-making, deliver measurable impact on performance, and build sustainable value.

In practice, this calls for a shift in mindset, with AI as a partner in progress. Companies must foster environments where people and intelligent systems collaborate seamlessly, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and growth. For India’s BPS sector, this is a moment to lead—leveraging digital fluency of its workforce and proven capabilities in technology to set new benchmarks for global service delivery.

Ultimately, the organisations that thrive will be those that move beyond incremental change, embracing intelligence as the foundation of their operations. By embedding AI into the heart of their workflows and investing in their people, they will transform every challenge into an opportunity for strategic advantage. The future belongs to those who are ready to reimagine what’s possible—and act boldly to make it real.

(The author is Managing Partner and Global Head of Business Process Services, Wipro Limited. Views are personal)