Tech Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra rejects the view that artificial intelligence will reduce the importance of India’s IT services sector. Speaking at the company’s 39th annual general meeting, he says AI is prompting a shift in how enterprises operate rather than replacing IT services outright. Mahindra argues that every major technology change has historically raised fears about disruption, but IT services have continued to evolve and take on greater roles.
He describes AI as moving beyond a productivity-enhancing tool to becoming central to operational design, customer service, risk management, and business decision-making. In his view, many organisations still rely on legacy systems, fragmented data, regulatory complexity, and accumulated technology challenges. Because of this, AI adoption requires integration, management, and customisation rather than treating AI as an external plug-in.
Mahindra positions IT service providers such as Tech Mahindra as an enabling layer that helps businesses adopt AI securely and effectively, and he says the sector can also benefit from the growing strategic importance of frontier AI models. He adds that India should aim to be a creator and trusted user of AI, not only a consumer of systems developed elsewhere.
