Dun & Bradstreet sees AI opportunities rising in India, but workforce readiness lags

Summary

Nearly seven in 10 Indian businesses plan to raise AI spending, but just 3% say their data is fully ready to support the technology at scale, a Dun & Bradstreet survey finds.

Mumbai: Dun & Bradstreet, a global data and analytics firm, sees growing opportunities in India as artificial intelligence (AI) unlocks new capabilities for businesses across sectors and of varying sizes, its top executives told Mint in an interview.

The firm’s survey of more than 10,000 businesses globally, including around 300 in India, found that AI adoption in the country has increased, with further headroom for growth as businesses gain better access to reliable data.

Nearly seven in 10 Indian businesses plan to increase spending on AI over the next 12 months, while 30% report broad or strong returns from their AI initiatives, according to the firm’s latest AI Momentum survey.

“Given the capabilities available today and the potential of AI, it is critical to put appropriate guardrails and governance frameworks in place to ensure that the necessary controls are established,” said Julian Prower, Dun & Bradstreet’s managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) for India and Taiwan.

The survey, which spans 32 markets and 17 sectors, with companies grouped according to government-defined revenue thresholds, found that Indian businesses with AI-ready data report broad or strong returns on investment (ROI) at 6.3 times the rate of businesses whose data is only partially ready. This underscores the strong relationship between data readiness and returns from AI.

“While optimism around AI adoption remains high, businesses still need to address several readiness gaps, particularly in terms of infrastructure, skills and operational capabilities, before they can fully realize its potential,” said Arun Singh, chief economist at the firm.

Data readiness

Supply-chain visibility

“India remains an important market for us, and we continue to see significant growth opportunities here,” Prower said.

Priyamvada CSneha Shah