AI Appreciation Day: From hype to habit, AI now powers India Inc

New Delhi: Artificial intelligence has quietly moved from the fringes to the foundation. No longer seen as a futuristic advantage or experimental tool, AI today powers how companies market, build, secure, and scale.

From personalising customer journeys to forecasting demand and managing complex infrastructure, it is being treated not just as a technology, but as a mindset, one that blends speed, precision, and purpose.

For marketers, AI is radically altering how brands communicate and connect. Chris Koehler, Chief Marketing Officer at Twilio, noted that “AI has moved beyond the hype to become a vital part of how we work and live.”

He pointed out how the technology is enabling adaptive audience segmentation, predictive lead scoring, and self-optimising campaigns that evolve with each interaction. Twilio has transitioned its entire marketing organisation to be AI-first, automating 90% of inbound lead routing, deflecting 75% of support tickets, and significantly reducing campaign launch times. “It’s not just about adding a name to an email; it’s about truly understanding customers as individuals at scale,” Koehler said.

This shift toward hyper-personalisation is being echoed across consumer technology brands. Rajeev Singh, Managing Director at BenQ India and South Asia, said consumers today are looking for more than just smart features, they expect technology that quietly understands and adapts to their needs. “Our systems are designed to operate seamlessly in the background,” he said. “AI must remain an invisible yet empowering companion, constantly learning from user preferences and environmental cues so that every interaction feels more personal, intuitive, and valuable.”

Nishant Patel, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Contentstack, described AI as “the engine room of modern digital innovation.” He highlighted how it is helping deliver real-time, hyper-personalised experiences while also anticipating user needs. But he cautioned that such power must be exercised responsibly. “With this power comes a duty to wield AI ethically… ensuring every experience is inclusive, responsible, and grounded in human values,” Patel said.

In the workplace, too, AI is becoming a quiet enabler. Murugan Anjunan, Chief Technology Officer at HerKey, said the technology is helping build inclusive work environments. “It helps us reimagine how women return to, remain in, and rise within the workforce at scale and with personalisation,” he said. “The real potential of AI lies not in replacing human intelligence, but in amplifying it.”

As AI integrates deeper into back-end systems, the shift is not just about automating tasks but about gaining foresight. Nakul Kumar, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Cashify, said the biggest shift in warehousing and logistics is from speed to intelligence. “We’re no longer asking, ‘How fast can we process what’s arrived?’ but ‘How accurately can we prepare for what’s coming?’” In the re-commerce sector, AI is helping anticipate repair needs, prioritise tasks based on resale trends, and optimise workflows, well before a product even enters the warehouse.

This momentum is not limited to large corporations. Karan Kirpalani, Chief Product Officer at Neysa, pointed out that businesses, even those facing infrastructure constraints, are moving from pilot projects to full-scale AI deployments in just a few months. “That kind of progress is no longer limited to large tech companies,” he said.

Keith Odom, Keith Odom, Executive Vice President, Services & Consulting,  AHEAD, noted that AI is becoming indispensable in IT infrastructure. “AI-driven operations are essential for anticipating incidents, reducing response times, and improving overall resilience,” he said. However, he added that explainability and control remain key to building trust in these systems.

Kaushik Mitra, Vice-President and Head of India GTM at Celonis, said that for AI to create lasting enterprise value, it must be grounded in how organisations actually operate. “With process intelligence, teams can move from isolated automation to coordinated, continuous transformation,” he said.

Supporting this view, Srividya Kannan, Founder and CEO of Avaali Solutions, pointed to AI’s role in driving cost optimisation and efficiency across core enterprise functions like Source-to-Pay and HR. “AI-driven digital solutions are revolutionising the way businesses operate, automating repetitive tasks, minimising errors, and enabling smarter decisions,” she said. “But the cornerstone of this transformation is clean, well-classified data, along with a strong commitment to protecting sensitive information.”

Beyond operations and enterprise systems, AI is also reshaping individual experiences in health, mobility, and security. CP Khandelwal, CEO, PR Innovations and Brand Custodian at Amazfit India, highlighted how wearables are evolving from tracking tools into intelligent wellness partners. “AI is evolving from a mere convenience tool into a trusted wellness companion,” he said. “It plays a vital role in decoding bio-data, tracking stress, and guiding personalised routines.” The aim, he said, is not to overwhelm, but to quietly enable people to live more mindfully and efficiently.

In cities, AI is being used to ease complexity and manage scale. At Routematic, the technology is decoding traffic patterns, EV charging data, and employee movement to optimise commutes. “We use AI to turn complexity into clarity,” said Founder and CEO Sriram Kannan.

Ganesh Gopalan, Co-founder and CEO of Gnani.ai, said AI also has a crucial role to play in inclusion. “We are committed to building solutions that are inclusive, responsible, and locally relevant, empowering enterprises and everyday users alike,” he said, referring to the use of voice AI and local language models to bridge India’s digital divide.

In cybersecurity, the need for intelligent decision-making is even more urgent. “AI has become essential in modern cybersecurity, not because it replaces human decision-making, but because it enables faster, more precise action in an environment defined by scale and unpredictability,” said Ashish Tandon, Founder and CEO of Indusface. A recent analysis by the company found that API intrusions rose by 30%, and bot attacks by 48%, making real-time AI-led defence a necessity.

Looking ahead, founders are being urged to apply AI not just creatively, but with clarity and care. “Technology is already reshaping how we build, move, serve, and decide,” said Ankit Kedia, Founder and Lead Investor at Capital-A. “But what matters now is accessibility… the future belongs to founders who can apply AI with discipline and clarity.”

As Koehler of Twilio concluded, “The future of marketing isn’t AI versus human, it’s AI plus human. That’s where the real magic happens.”