India Is Leapfrogging in AI, Says Google Cloud Executive Amit Kumar

India is emerging as a high-speed testing ground for artificial intelligence, with businesses increasingly moving beyond experiments with AI models and towards agentic AI applications, according to Amit Kumar, Managing Director, Digital Natives Business at Google Cloud India.

Speaking during Google’s ‘Let’s Talk AI’ media tour in Bengaluru, Kumar said Indian enterprises and startups are increasingly using AI to solve practical business problems, while Indian technology companies are also developing solutions for global customers.

He described the shift as part of a broader change in the way companies approach artificial intelligence, with the focus moving from debates over individual AI models to actual business value.

India Is Becoming a Global AI Proving Ground

According to Kumar, India has emerged as a high-velocity environment for AI experimentation and deployment.

Indian digital businesses are increasingly using technology to address problems beyond the domestic market, he said, with applications spanning banking, government enterprises, manufacturing and consumer technology.

“Whether it is workforce productivity in banks, government enterprises, and manufacturing, or advanced consumer interfaces, we see a prudent yet rapid movement,” Kumar said.

He added that Indian companies are increasingly building solutions for customers around the world.

This creates an opportunity for India’s technology sector to move from being primarily a consumer of global technology to becoming a significant developer and exporter of AI-powered solutions.

From AI Models to AI Agents

One of the major changes underway is the growing emphasis on agentic AI.

Traditional generative AI systems generally respond to prompts by generating text, images, code or other outputs.

AI agents are designed to take a more active role by planning tasks, interacting with tools and carrying out multiple steps toward a defined objective.

For businesses, this could shift AI from an assistance tool to a system capable of participating directly in workflows.

Google Cloud has been expanding its enterprise AI offerings in this direction, including through partnerships with Indian companies in areas such as consumer technology, agriculture and financial services.

AI Is Moving From Assistance to Action

Kumar’s comments reflect a wider transition in enterprise AI adoption.

Companies initially experimented with AI through chatbots, content generation and productivity assistants. Increasingly, businesses are looking at how AI can perform tasks within operational workflows.

The potential applications include:

• Automating repetitive business processes
• Improving workforce productivity
• Building intelligent customer interfaces
• Supporting decision-making
• Analysing large datasets
• Automating selected operational tasks
• Connecting AI systems with enterprise software

The move towards agentic systems could make the integration of AI with existing business processes more significant.

‘Engineering Is Not a Degree Anymore. It’s a Mindset’

Kumar also offered a broader observation about the changing technology workforce.

“Engineering is not a degree anymore. It’s a mindset,” he said.

The comment reflects the growing importance of practical experimentation in an industry where AI tools are lowering some of the barriers to building software.

As AI systems become capable of generating code and assisting with development, technical impact may increasingly depend on the ability to understand problems, experiment with tools and build solutions rather than simply possessing traditional credentials.

That does not eliminate the value of formal technical education. Rather, Kumar’s point emphasises continuous learning and practical problem-solving as technology evolves.

Indian Startups Are Building for Global Customers

India’s large digital ecosystem provides an extensive environment for testing new technologies.

Companies operating in sectors such as financial services, agriculture, commerce and consumer technology are increasingly integrating AI into their products and operations.

Google Cloud has highlighted partnerships involving companies such as boAt, Cropin and Pine Labs as examples of how AI is being incorporated into Indian businesses.

These applications also illustrate the diversity of India’s AI market.

AI adoption is not limited to software companies. Consumer hardware, agriculture technology and financial-services businesses are also exploring ways to incorporate AI into products and workflows.

AI Funding Is Becoming More Concentrated

The broader Indian technology funding environment also reflects a shift towards fewer but potentially larger bets.

According to data cited from market intelligence firm Tracxn, Indian technology companies raised approximately $10.3 billion during the first nine months of 2026, up from $9.7 billion during the same period in 2025.

That represents growth of around 6.2%.

However, the number of funding rounds, first-time funded companies and soonicorn additions reportedly declined during the period.

The pattern suggests that capital is becoming more concentrated among companies that investors have greater conviction in.

For AI companies, access to capital may increasingly depend on demonstrating tangible business applications rather than simply showcasing an AI product.

The Next Phase of India’s AI Story

India’s AI opportunity is increasingly moving beyond the question of which foundation model a company uses.

For enterprises, the more important questions may involve:

• What business problem is AI solving?
• Can AI generate measurable productivity gains?
• How securely can AI be deployed?
• Can AI agents work with existing systems?
• What level of human oversight is required?
• Can an Indian solution scale globally?

The answers will determine whether the current wave of AI experimentation develops into sustained commercial adoption.

Kumar’s comments suggest that Indian businesses are increasingly focused on this practical phase of the AI cycle.

India’s AI Advantage Could Come From Application

India’s large digital consumer base, startup ecosystem and technology workforce give companies a substantial environment in which to experiment with AI.

The opportunity is not necessarily limited to creating new foundation models. Indian companies can also build products and applications on top of existing AI infrastructure and solve specialised problems for global markets.

That could allow the country to move quickly in areas where practical deployment matters more than developing the underlying model itself.

As AI moves from assistance towards autonomous action, the ability to integrate the technology into real business processes may become an increasingly important competitive factor.