India is positioning as a global leader due to its rapid advancements in AI and its foundational tech infrastructure, with the potential to shape the future of AI-driven industries across healthcare, agriculture, finance, and beyond.

Bikram Bedi, vice president and country MD at Google Cloud India, is of the same vein. At a roundtable at Google for India event, he emphasises that India's digital infrastructure—led by innovations like UPI, Aadhaar, and DigiYatra—has paved the way for rapid AI advancements. “Indian tech infrastructure has leapfrogged a number of economies in the world,” says Bedi, adding, “We are way ahead of so many other economies in the world.”

As India continues to develop its AI capabilities, the integration of AI into various sectors has moved beyond the experimental stage. Bedi highlights that Indian enterprises are no longer running pilots but are fully embracing AI for commercial purposes. "There is wide adoption, and more importantly, deep adoption, and companies are using this for various use cases, whether internal or external," he says, pointing to examples such as Federal Bank's virtual assistant, Freddy, and HDFC Ergo's AI-driven productivity tools. Freddy, designed as a friendly neighbourhood virtual assistant, answers queries so efficiently that virtual interactions have doubled, while customer care costs have been reduced by 50%, and the bank’s Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures customer satisfaction, has increased by 25%.

Bedi highlights AI’s evolving role in customer care, moving from simple chatbot systems to more complex sentiment analysis. He explains how capturing customer emotions during interactions, especially in sensitive sectors like travel, is now essential. "Bots are table stakes," Bedi says, indicating that basic AI tools like chatbots are now the minimum standard. "The ability to understand the customer better is the next level of customer care," he adds, underscoring how AI can transform service interactions by detecting a customer's mood and tailoring responses accordingly.

Beyond customer care, AI is revolutionising internal operations across industries. Bedi highlighted HDFC Ergo’s efforts to integrate 300 applications into a cohesive system, enhancing both internal productivity and customer service. Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra has adopted Google Cloud’s Vertex AI framework for engineering simulations, while Aditya Birla Group’s fashion brand, Bevakuf.com, uses Google’s Imogen AI to generate custom-designed t-shirts, showcasing AI’s wide commercial applications.

The healthcare sector is also reaping the benefits of AI, with Google Cloud collaborating with Apollo to create a clinical intelligence engine that aids doctors during consultations. In agriculture, AI is driving India’s Agri Stack, a digital initiative that helps farmers manage land parcels, access geospatial data, and link with marketplaces like ONDC to streamline the supply chain.

Not only has the depth of AI adoption in India increased, it seems, but so has the global demand for the country’s digital solutions. “We have countries coming to us, saying they want UPI and Aadhaar in their countries. Why rebuild it when India has already perfected it?” he retorts, suggesting that India's digital public infrastructure could become a blueprint for other nations looking to leapfrog into the digital era.

"DPI in a box is exactly that—India taking leadership with the Global South. Other countries want to plug and play India’s innovations instead of starting from scratch," Bedi concludes.

Google Cloud India

Digital public infra leapfrogged number of global economies: Google Cloud India