Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO of Salesforce South Asia, said on 14 June that India has the potential to become a pivotal contributor to the global artificial intelligence ecosystem — but only if it pairs its existing talent base with stronger research and development and sustained skilling efforts. The remarks come as India's AI ambitions gain momentum across both government policy and private enterprise.

The Case for India's AI Leadership

Bhattacharya argued that India's competitive edge in AI will be shaped by its unique domestic demands. 'A lot of innovation will come from India's unique requirements, whether it is multilingual AI, cost-efficient models, or solutions that can work at enormous scale,' she said. She added that talent alone is insufficient, calling for 'stronger focus on research, greater collaboration between industry, academia and government, and a sustained focus on innovation.'

India already possesses, according to Bhattacharya, the three foundational pillars for AI leadership: a large and skilled talent pool, a maturing digital infrastructure, and a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. The challenge, she noted, is converting these advantages into globally competitive research output.

The Human Skills That AI Cannot Replace

In an AI-first world, Bhattacharya stressed that adaptability and curiosity matter more than any single technical skill. Drawing on her own career trajectory — from an English Literature graduate to leading one of the world's fastest-growing technology regions — she said the willingness to pivot and keep learning defines long-term career resilience.

'Human judgement, creativity, communication and empathy will become even more valuable because these are the capabilities that complement AI,' she said. She also cautioned that some existing skills will become obsolete while new ones emerge, and that 'many of the jobs of the future do not yet have names.'

Salesforce's Own AI Outcomes

Bhattacharya pointed to Salesforce's internal deployment of AI as evidence of what is possible when data, context, and governance align. After the company introduced an agentic AI layer into its help.salesforce.com platform, its first-call resolution rate reportedly rose from approximately 44 per cent to over 84 per cent. 'It reinforced for us that when the data, context and governance are right, AI can deliver measurable business outcomes,' she noted.

This 'customer zero' philosophy — using its own technology extensively before deploying it for clients — is central to how Salesforce validates its AI products, she explained.

Skilling Commitment and India Footprint

Salesforce has committed to skilling one million people in AI by 2030, working through partnerships with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), government initiatives, educational institutions, and its broader ecosystem. The company's Hyderabad Centre of Excellence recently completed a decade of operations.

Today, Salesforce employs more than 17,000 people across seven locations in India, making the country its second largest R&D centre globally after the United States. Bhattacharya described this growth as 'a journey that has been quite significant.' As India's AI policy landscape continues to evolve, the company's expanding India footprint positions it as both a stakeholder and a benchmark in the country's technology ambitions.