Salesforce India head Arundhati Bhattacharya on where India is ahead and where behind in Generative-AI adoption

Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO and Chairperson of Salesforce India, highlighted India’s position in the Generative AI (Gen AI) landscape at a recent event in Mumbai. According to a report in Money Control, while acknowledging India’s rapid maturation, she emphasized that the country still lags behind in Gen AI adoption compared to global trends. Bhattacharya noted that individual talent is ahead of the curve, but industry adoption needs acceleration.
“India needs to do a lot of catching up (when it comes to Gen AI).We definitely are a country that is maturing faster than the rest of the world, (but that is) maybe because we are slightly behind the curve,” Bhattacharya said at the Salesforce World Tour Essentials in Mumbai. Bhattacharya was reportedly speaking in Mumbai where Salesforce launched Digital Lending for loan origination and Public Sector division.

‘India faces challenges in adoption of Generative-AI’

The urgency is growing, driven by Gen AI’s transformative capabilities. As businesses digitize and experience Gen AI’s power, they recognize the need to leapfrog quickly. India, despite its software demand outlier status, faces challenges in adoption. Salesforce’s recent offerings, including Digital Lending and the Public Sector division, aim to deepen their reach in India, where the company’s employee count has surged to 11,000 across major cities12.
Salesforce has seen its India team grow multiple times in the last three years. When Bhattacharya joined Salesforce in 2020, the company is said to have around 2,200 employees. The number grew to around 9,000 in 2023 and has increased to 11,000 in the current year across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurugram, Pune and Jaipur.