India leads in AI adoption, but workers say ‘AI output is a starting point, not the final answer’

Artificial intelligence is changing how Indians work, but it is not simply about replacing people with machines. Today, Indians are using AI agents to handle multi-step tasks, rethink workflows and take on work that was previously difficult to do. Yet, humans remain firmly in the driver’s seat, treating ‘AI output as a starting point rather than the final answer.’

Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index, released on Thursday, put India among the world’s leading Frontier workforces. It describes 32% of Indian AI users as Frontier Professionals, that is, employees who use AI agents for multi-step workflows and also rethink how work gets done. The numbers are twice the global average of 16%, and the highest among the 10 markets covered by the study.

“Work is changing, not ending, and India is building a blueprint the world will learn from,” Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India & South Asia, said while unveiling the study.

The phenomenon is already evident in the kind of work employees say they can accomplish. About 78% of Indian AI users said AI is helping them to do work that was not possible one year ago, compared with 58% globally. For India’s Frontier Professionals, that share is 85%.

AI output as a starting point

This clearly indicates that AI adoption in India is moving beyond using chatbots or copilots to complete individual tasks faster. Corporate employees are now working with AI agents that can handle multiple steps in a workflow, but it is critical for humans to direct the process and take responsibility for the final outcome.

Chandok says that currently, one in three Indian professionals using AI is “working with agents on multi-step, real work”, compared with one in six globally.

One important fact that the report notes is that Indian workers are not simply handing over decision-making to machines. 63% of Indian respondents identified quality control of AI output as the most important skill, compared with 46% globally; critical thinking ranks next at 59%, compared with 46%. A total of 87% of respondents said they remain responsible for the thinking and treat AI output as a starting point rather than the final answer.

AI adoption increased at organisational level

At the organisational level, the environment is also changing.

Infosys, TCS, Wipro and LTM collectively signed up for more than 400,000 M365 Copilot seats in under six months — one of the largest and fastest enterprise AI rollouts anywhere for Microsoft.

At TCS, 86% of Copilot-licensed employees actively use the technology. Multiple teams report 20 to 25% productivity improvements in research and content production, twice-as-fast insight generation, and a 25 to 35% reduction in work-cycle time for selected processes. Meanwhile, at Wipro, monthly active usage of Microsoft 365 Copilot has passed 95%, with associates generating 7.5 million prompts a month and averaging 23 actions per user per week.

“Building a Frontier Enterprise requires more than technology. Organisations that are realising sustainable value from AI are those that combine leadership alignment, workforce readiness, governance, and intelligence embedded across the business,” says Balakrishna D. R., Executive Vice President and Global Services Head, AI and Industry Verticals, Infosys