India’s frontier firms take lead in AI-first work revolution

• 63% of managers expect that AI training will become a core part of every team’s responsibilities within the next five years, Microsoft report says.
• 90% of Indian business leaders believe this is a critical year for rethinking how their organisations function—the highest such conviction globally.

This year, the landscape of work in India is buzzing with excitement and possibility, driven by an elite set of organisations known as frontier firms.

These are not your average enterprises—they’re the visionaries, the early movers already reimagining and redesigning what “work” means in an AI-first era. In fact, 59 per cent of leaders at these forward-looking companies are already putting AI agents to work, automating business processes across entire teams, according to Microsoft’s latest ‘2025 Work Trend Index.’

The numbers tell a compelling story: an extraordinary 93 per cent of Indian business leaders say they intend to deploy AI agents to expand what their teams can do in the next 12 to 18 months. There’s a sense of urgency and energy in the air as organisations embrace agility, speed, and purpose, scaling up their ambitions with every passing day.

Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, captured the moment perfectly: “India is firmly in its AI-first era, with AI agility accelerating at an unprecedented pace. We’re seeing a workforce that’s not just adopting AI, but weaving it into the very fabric of everyday work, leaning on its unmatched speed, precision, and constant availability to drive transformation.”

For many leaders, AI has already become more than just another digital tool. It’s a trusted thought partner—fueling creativity, sparking faster decisions, and changing the very nature of collaboration in a country that’s ready to jump at every new possibility. Boldness is the prevailing mood.

In fact, 90 per cent of Indian business leaders believe this is a critical year for rethinking how their organisations function—the highest such conviction globally. Productivity is top of mind for 64 per cent, and nearly all are betting that digital agents will help unlock new workforce potential over the coming year and a half.

But the transformation goes far deeper than just operational tweaks. Job descriptions are evolving. The org chart is being flipped and stretched. Suddenly, you’ll find software operators, agent bosses, and AI workflow designers sitting alongside team leads.

According to the report, 92 per cent of leaders say they’re considering adding brand-new, AI-specific roles, while 57 per cent expect teams will soon design multi-agent systems capable of automating even the most complex workflows.

Of course, none of this happens without relentless learning and skilling. Upskilling has shot to the top of leader priorities, with 51 per cent making it their focus for the next 12–18 months. Looking ahead, 63 per cent of managers expect that AI training will become a core part of every team’s responsibilities within the next five years.

India’s workforce is truly ready for this future. With 66 per cent of employees and an even higher proportion of leaders already comfortable working alongside AI agents, the foundation for AI-powered productivity is looking rock solid.

Himani Agrawal, Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer for India and South Asia, captured the spirit of this transformation: “We’re not just leading businesses—we’re leading them with AI at the center. This isn’t simply a tech upgrade; it’s a sweeping cultural evolution marked by continuous learning, creative application, and scaling up at every step.”

It seems India’s boldest companies have their eyes firmly fixed on tomorrow, racing ahead as architects of the AI-first workplace revolution.