Abundant intelligence, skilling safeguard to shape AI future: Microsoft India head
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia, said while outlining his top predictions, unquantified intelligence, “digital counterparts” under human supervision and constant dexterity as the essential safeguard amidst major changes will shape a future retooled with artificial intelligence.
During his visit to India earlier this month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had announced plans to invest US$17.5 billion there to help build infrastructure and independent talent for the country’s AI-first future; It was a bold commitment, marking the tech giant’s largest-ever investment in Asia.
Chandok said that artificial intelligence has gone beyond hype and is making a real impact today.
“…the next phase will be defined by how responsibly, inclusively and thoughtfully we scale it,” Chandok told PTI.
Headline predictions for the reorganized world and frontier AI include intelligence moving from scarcity to abundance in an era of “unquantified intelligence,” with computing increasingly turning into direct cognition for organizations.
AI ‘agents’ will work alongside humans, undertaking tasks and reasoning over data, but humans will remain firmly in control, he argues.
Results will be key to reshaping the business model and value creation will shift from effort and delay to measurable results.
Chandok notes that India’s digital public infrastructure is enabling mass adoption of AI, turning national scale into a global advantage.
Saying that roles will be divided into tasks and careers will become more dynamic, Microsoft India official defined skill as the primary protection in the age of artificial intelligence.
“When I think about the technology story of 2025, what stands out is how decisively India has moved from experimenting with AI to deploying it in key sectors of the economy. Across aviation, healthcare, financial services and manufacturing, organizations have begun reimagining the way they work – whether it is Air India reimagining customer engagement, Apollo Hospitals empowering clinicians, ICICI Lombard reshaping core processes or Asian Paints bending the innovation curve,” he said.
This momentum will set the context for what happens next.
“What makes this moment particularly powerful is the India opportunity. When digital public infrastructure meets AI, adoption can happen at population scales, from classrooms to boardrooms and farms to factories. This belief underpins Microsoft’s commitment to invest US$17.5 billion in India to build the cloud and AI infrastructure, skills and confidence needed to translate momentum into long-term impact,” Chandok said. he said.
He said things are changing, work is becoming more fluid, and the most lasting advantage is the ability to continue learning.
“Skills are the most important form of resilience in the age of AI, which is why Microsoft has doubled down on its commitment to equip 20 million people in India with the skills needed to participate in and shape this transformation by 2030,” he said.
