India to Deploy AI Agents: 93% of Leaders Ready to Transform Work

India is entering what many analysts are calling an AI-first era. A new wave of automation and collaboration between humans and digital agents is shaping up to redefine how companies operate, hire, and develop talent. The Microsoft 2025 Work Trend Index paints a vivid picture: nearly all top executives in India are looking to embed AI agents into daily workflows, not just as a test but as a core strategic capability.

But what does this really look like on the ground? The report describes a near-universal intent to deploy AI agents within the next 12 to 18 months, a timeline that mirrors India’s broader push to accelerate digital maturity and productivity. It isn’t about swapping people for machines or turning offices into a relay of robotic routines. Instead, think of AI agents as collaborative teammates that can draft reports, triage customer requests, or even orchestrate complex processes across multiple teams. This is the kind of “assistive AI” that’s expected to unlock time for higher-value work while preserving the human element at the center of decision-making.

• A new era of job design is taking shape: 92% of leaders are considering adding AI-specific roles to their org charts. The roles range from AI workflow designers who map how digital agents should operate within business processes to software operators who keep the engines running. There’s even talk of “agent bosses” who supervise teams of AI agents and ensure these digital workers stay aligned with business goals. Hybrid teams—part human, part AI—may soon become the norm, with leadership structures shifting toward more fluid collaboration rather than rigid hierarchies.
• Frontier Firms are already rewriting the playbook. About 59% of leaders at these forward-looking companies report using AI agents to automate workflows across entire teams, signaling a move toward scalable, agile operations that can adapt to changing conditions.
• The emphasis on people remains strong. Even as AI takes on more routine tasks, upskilling is seen as a top priority by 51% of leaders, with management teams expected to take the lead in AI training within the next five years. This isn’t about one-off training sessions; it’s about cultivating a culture of continuous learning so teams can design, implement, and manage multi-agent systems.

What’s fueling this rapid adoption? Productivity gains are the main driver, with roughly two-thirds of leaders citing it as a primary objective. India’s workforce already shows a high degree of familiarity with AI agents—80% among leaders and 66% among employees—creating a favorable environment for rapid experimentation and broader implementation.

A shift in the operating model isn’t just about adding new tools. It’s about rethinking work itself: decision-making can accelerate when digital agents surface insights, coordinate parallel tasks, and automatically route activities to the most capable teams. In this context, AI becomes a “thought partner” that can spark creativity and speed up execution while keeping humans in the loop where judgment and nuance matter most.

What the numbers imply for the broader economy

• The rise of AI-driven workflows is expected to reshape job roles and career pathways. Employers are designing roles around human-AI collaboration, as well as new responsibilities like managing multi-agent systems that orchestrate complex tasks.
• Skills development is emerging as a competitive differentiator. Organizations are prioritizing ongoing learning so employees aren’t left behind as processes become more automated.
• A new organizational blueprint is taking shape. As firms move from tool-by-tool adoption to integrated teams of humans and AI, the risk-taking and experimentation often associated with digital transformation become part of everyday business.

The findings fit a larger global pattern, but the pace and scale in India are notable. Indian business leaders aren’t merely experimenting with AI; they’re embedding it into the fabric of operations with a sense of urgency and clarity about outcomes like productivity, innovation, and profitability.

Source materials and context

• The Microsoft 2025 Work Trend Index provides the baseline for many of these observations. The index highlights how Indian companies view AI as a strategic lever rather than a side project.
• Familiarity with AI agents among both leaders and employees creates a smoother path for rollout, while a strong emphasis on upskilling ensures teams can design and manage more sophisticated AI ecosystems.
• The shift toward a human-centric, AI-enabled operating model represents a broader rethinking of what work looks like in an AI-enabled economy. This isn’t simply about adopting a suite of tools; it’s about retooling teams, processes, and leadership to thrive in a hybrid future.