India is experiencing a significant shift in its industrial sector, with intelligence and adaptability becoming key factors in manufacturing and production. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in transforming how industries operate, moving beyond traditional drivers such as scale, cost, and labor.
Prosus, together with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, recently organized Amrit Udyog: AI for Smart Industries and a Future-Ready Workforce. The roundtable focused on the integration of AI into India’s industrial ecosystem. It was co-chaired by Rentala Chandrashekhar, Chairman of the Centre for the Digital Future and former Secretary to the Government of India (IT & Telecom), and Tejpreet Singh Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Light & Power Group.
Participants from large enterprises, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and industrial platforms discussed how AI serves as a connective infrastructure—linking data to decisions, machines to people, and productivity to purpose. Despite being one of the largest generators of data globally, Indian industry analyzes less than 2% of this data for decision-making.
Technological advancements in sensors, cloud infrastructure, edge computing, and AI models are making it easier to use existing data effectively. Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director at Rockwell Automation India said that “the opportunity lies not in creating more data, but in harnessing what already exists – unlocking visibility, predictability, and control across industrial operations.”
The discussion highlighted that India’s manufacturing sector faces increasing complexity due to issues like unpredictable downtime and regulatory compliance. AI can help address these challenges by augmenting human judgment with better foresight.
Tejpreet Singh Chopra emphasized the importance of MSMEs: “India has over 60 million MSMEs that employ over 230 million people, contributing roughly 30% of GDP.” However, MSMEs often struggle with limited capital and fragmented data. Santhoshi Buddhiraju, CEO of Autocracy Machinery stated: “AI doesn’t replace jobs – it replaces inefficiency. MSMEs that use AI will replace MSMEs that don’t.”
A key concern raised was that delaying AI adoption poses greater risks than adopting it early. Many small businesses find current AI solutions expensive or difficult to implement due to concerns about costs or reliance on large global platforms.
The roundtable suggested shared access models for AI through government-facilitated or public–private marketplaces could help MSMEs adopt technology without heavy upfront investments or fears about losing control over their data.
Naveen Kamat from Larsen & Toubro noted that integrating intelligence into processes from the start leads to better productivity compared to retrofitting automation later on. Use cases like predictive maintenance and digital traceability are becoming standard as export markets require proof of quality and compliance.
Employment was another major topic at the event. While automation will change job roles within manufacturing, participants agreed there is a need for new skills rather than simply more workers trained in basic AI tasks. Bhuwan Lodha from Mahindra Group remarked that training should focus on preparing people for evolving work environments.
Sehraj Singh from Prosus India concluded: “India has a unique opportunity to embed intelligence into its industrial growth story from the ground up. If we align technology with skills, policy, and enterprise ambition, AI can become a force multiplier – not just for productivity but for building resilient industries and meaningful livelihoods at scale.”
Collaboration between government agencies, industry players, academia—and consistent policies—are seen as essential steps toward creating smart industries capable of competing globally while supporting inclusive job creation.
