India outpaces global AI adoption but lags in skills: Deloitte

Deloitte said Indian companies are moving faster than the global average in adopting AI at scale, even as few report deep AI expertise, based on its 2026 State of AI in the Enterprise survey.

In the India sample of more than 200 business and tech leaders, 40% reported significant or full AI usage vs. around 28% globally, and 94% expected AI budgets to rise over the next year.

The report said at-scale use was highest in product development at 62%, strategy and operations at 56%, marketing and sales at 55%, and supply chain at 48%.

Deloitte said only 0%-4% of Indian firms reported high AI expertise compared with 2%-8% globally, and respondents cited regulation and compliance at 39% and resistance to change at 34% as top barriers.

🔗 Source: The Economic Times

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Adoption is broad, change can stay shallow

Indian firms lead in AI adoption, yet many efforts stay limited to quick wins.
Two-thirds of organizations worldwide report productivity or efficiency gains from AI. Only 20% report revenue growth so far, so cost savings often come first 1.
37% of surveyed organizations use AI in a light-touch way, with little or no shift in existing processes 2.
Indian companies report low AI expertise. This aligns with global findings where lack of worker skills ranks as the top obstacle to fitting AI into daily workflows. Deloitte’s reporting on the 2026 survey says 84% of companies have not redesigned roles or the nature of work around AI capabilities 1.

Rapid AI adopters may face a heavier compliance load

Regulation and compliance worry 39% of Indian leaders. India’s AI governance guidelines from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the IndiaAI Mission (a national program to expand India’s AI capabilities) arrived in November 2025 3.
The rules cover “AI Deployers.” The term includes any company or organization that implements or uses an AI system in a real-world operational environment. They place accountability on deployers for impacts such as fairness and transparency 3.
Fast-moving Indian adopters in Deloitte’s survey could face higher exposure when governance does not keep pace.
Deloitte reports only 0% to 4% of Indian firms claim high AI expertise. Some may struggle with work the guidelines expect, including documentation, monitoring, or risk management 3.