India's AI Revolution: Exploring Autonomous Agent Development

Deloitte's report reveals that over 80% of Indian organizations are exploring autonomous agents, indicating a shift towards Agentic AI. Despite challenges in scaling AI initiatives, Indian firms show strong interest in GenAI, projecting high ROI and emphasizing innovation and adaptability in AI integration and deployment.

In a significant development in the realm of artificial intelligence, over 80 percent of Indian organizations are now actively investigating the development of autonomous agents, according to Deloitte's State of GenAI report. This marks a notable shift towards Agentic AI, involving systems designed to autonomously make and execute decisions.

The Deloitte survey reveals that 70 percent of companies are eager to employ GenAI for automation, underscoring the burgeoning adoption of AI-driven autonomous systems across various industries. The report highlights a surge in innovation, democratization of AI, and investment in transformative AI-related projects, with 61 percent of firms reportedly engaging in over ten GenAI experiments.

Indian businesses are witnessing significant impacts from GenAI and agentic AI methodologies at scale. The report indicates that more than 67 percent of firms experienced positive effects on all stages of the software development lifecycle due to GenAI integration.

Deloitte's findings demonstrate substantial business benefits from GenAI, with nearly 70 percent of respondents affirming that their AI integration efforts met or exceeded ROI forecasts. The leaders in AI adoption are departments like IT, customer service, marketing, operations, and product development as firms progress in AI maturity.

"As Indian organizations delve into Agentic and GenAI, transitioning from experimentation to full-scale deployment holds the key to unlocking their potential," remarked Moumita Sarker, Partner at Deloitte India. "Our report reveals that most prefer acquiring AI solutions rather than in-house development, posing a challenge of adaptability to changing needs. Embracing agile innovation is crucial for staying ahead of AI advancements and optimizing long-term returns. Balancing swift adoption with sustainable strategies will be vital for successful AI investments and growth," she added.

Nonetheless, the rapid adoption of Agentic AI and GenAI is not without challenges, particularly in scaling these initiatives. The survey noted that while many businesses are engaged in AI experimentation, only 29 percent successfully scaled up to 30 percent of their AI proofs of concept, with others struggling more.

Moreover, the integration of AI in workflows is inconsistent, as 61 percent of organizations report that only up to 40 percent of employees utilize GenAI tools. Concerns about errors with real-world consequences (36 percent), bias and hallucinations (30 percent), and data quality (30 percent) are barriers to widespread deployment.

However, confidence in AI's long-term potential remains high, with most organizations anticipating overcoming these hurdles in the next 12-24 months. A primary challenge in scaling AI is the preferred strategy of purchasing GenAI tools rather than developing them in-house, as per the survey findings. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)