India Inc.'s New-Age CTO: How To Architect An AI-First Enterprise
By Sanjeev Vohra
The role of a Chief Technology Officer's (CTO) is being fundamentally reshaped. What once centred around cloud migration and digital transformation now demands something more radical: reimagining the enterprise as a system of intelligent, self-learning agents. With agentic AI and automation maturing at a rapid pace, Indian enterprises are entering a new era, one where technology doesn’t just enable business strategy; it defines it.
Across sectors like BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing, and IT services, companies are no longer asking if they should adopt AI. In FY24, AI adoption rates reached 68% in BFSI, 52% in healthcare, and 28% in manufacturing, according to Teamlease Digital. The question is how fast and how effectively they can do it. For CTOs, this moment is as much about vision as it is about execution. The stakes are high, but so is the opportunity to lead from the front.
Here are five imperatives every CTO should prioritise to stay ahead of the curve:
Become an AI Evangelist, Not Just the Technology Head
AI is not just another technology shift; it is a core driver of competitive advantage. CTOs must take on the mantle of AI evangelist, translating abstract possibilities into tangible business value. This is especially critical in traditionally run Indian businesses, where the leadership may still be building fluency in emerging technologies.
CTOs must drive cross-functional AI literacy across the leadership team and help business heads understand how AI impacts their P&L. As the role shifts from technology custodian to transformation enabler, CTOs must prioritise building internal momentum for experimentation and adoption.
Shift from Applications to Agents: Rethink Your Architecture
The enterprise tech stack of the future won’t rely on static applications. It will be built around autonomous agents capable of learning, reasoning, and acting. This calls for a shift in the architectural mindset, from SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) to an Agentic Development Life Cycle (ADLC).
For large conglomerates and shared services organisations, this shift is seismic. It means designing modular workflows that can integrate AI models seamlessly. The talent strategy must focus on creating orchestration layers that manage agents, APIs, and data flows. CTOs must move from application silos to intelligent, interoperable systems as enterprise architecture evolves to support adaptability at scale.
Rethink Talent and Teams: Build for Convergence, Not Silos
AI-centric businesses need more than coders; they need integrators. The new heroes in the tech organisation are AI architects, orchestration engineers, and platform thinkers. CTOs must rewire their talent strategy to hire and upskill for integration and system thinking. The focus must be on forging strong alliances with hyperscalers, open-source ecosystems, and AI-first partners. It is important to leverage India’s maturing Global In-house Centres (GIC) and tech services ecosystem to accelerate delivery. India’s rich tech talent pool can be a game-changer, but only if it is mobilised around integration, not just development.
Innovate with Speed, and With Accountability
Today, the Indian business landscape is hyper-competitive, and boardrooms expect AI investments to show real returns, fast. This requires an innovation engine that balances bold experimentation with sharp execution. Establishing fast-moving AI labs with clear business metrics will help align initiatives with business KPIs and operational outcomes. AI can’t live in the lab. It must drive growth, reduce costs, or unlock new value – at speed. Therefore, CTOs must move proof of concept (POCs) quickly into scaled pilots and revenue-generating use cases.
Make Responsible AI the Foundation, not a Feature
With great power comes great responsibility. Therefore, the more powerful the technology, the higher the responsibility. AI introduces new dimensions of risk: algorithmic bias, non-transparent decision-making, and data privacy concerns. In India, where regulatory frameworks like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) are becoming more defined, responsible innovation is no longer optional.
It is crucial to build governance frameworks that address both technical and ethical risks. CTOs must ensure that AI decisions are explainable, auditable, and transparent. It is important to make data integrity and lineage central to AI deployments as this isn’t just about compliance, it’s about trust, reputation, and long-term resilience.
From Technologist to Transformation Leader
As AI redefines what’s possible, Indian enterprises need CTOs who can rise to the occasion — not just to manage change, but to lead it. This role now demands strategic foresight, architectural mastery, talent vision, and a deep commitment to responsible innovation. The age of the AI-native enterprise has arrived, and it’s the CTO who holds the blueprint.
The next wave of market leaders will be defined not by how much technology they adopt, but by how smart they are with integration and scaling. As the country stands at the threshold of an AI-powered transformation, this is a defining moment for the CTOs. The playbook is evolving, and those who adapt it with speed will shape the future.
(The author is the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Genpact)
Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.
technology