Sunil Mittal Highlights AI's Transformative Impact and Calls for Industry-Led Innovation in India

Artificial intelligence is a generational shift, with its impact far greater than the internet: Sunil Mittal

Artificial intelligence is a generational shift, with its impact far greater than the internet, that touches almost every aspect of our lives, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, the former CII president said a significant impact of AI in India is its effect on employment, particularly given India's large, young workforce. Mittal said AI will create difficulties in areas like software engineering, noting that now even a layman can speak to a machine to write code. "India has the largest workforce, the youngest developing in the world. There are 20 million children in the age group six to sixteen. In ten year's time, they will be sixteen to twenty-six, each wanting a job. AI will create difficulties in that area. Some parts are clearly visible today," Mittal said. However, Mittal said AI will also create new opportunities and more jobs. "Using AI will become absolutely important for everyone, especially in emerging countries like India," the executive said. Mittal said that while Indian industry is committed to national progress, an enabling environment from the government is essential to remove bottlenecks and accelerate India's development journey. He presented an industry wish list to the government, including key asks on Ease of Doing Business, GST reforms, and corporate taxation. Mittal highlighted the demographic advantage India holds as other developed nations ages and immigration barriers rise. "Industry and academia must go beyond surface-level collaboration and jointly build a globally competitive, job-ready workforce. Emerging fields such as AI, green energy, space communication, and next-gen telecom demand urgent attention," he said. Mittal also expressed concern over India spending less than 1% of its GDP on research and development, asking the industry to step up and invest aggressively in deep tech and innovation. "Our large domestic market gives us scale, but we need intellectual leadership too. Only then can the government scale its R&D efforts with confidence," Mittal said. The executive also called for a trade reset, advocating for a fundamental shift in India's approach to trade and exports. "We must diversify our export basket and focus on products and services that are needed globally. No raw material should leave our shores without value addition," Mittal said.

Industry Need to Step Up and Invest Aggressively in Research and Development, Says Sunil Mittal: Report

India's youthful population could be a global workforce leader. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a generational shift, with its impact far greater than the internet, that touches almost every aspect of our lives, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025. Highlighting its sweeping influence across sectors, Mittal cautioned that while AI promises new opportunities, it also presents significant challenges -- particularly for employment in a young nation like India. He outlined four key areas requiring immediate focus. Also Read: Sunil Bharti Mittal Welcomes Telecom-Satellite Partnership to Expand Global Connectivity Speaking at the summit, the former president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) noted that the emergence of AI is already disrupting traditional job roles, especially in software engineering. "Even a layperson can now speak to a machine to write code," he said, according to an Economic Times report. "India has the largest workforce, the youngest developing in the world. There are 20 million children in the age group six to sixteen. In ten year's time, they will be sixteen to twenty-six, each wanting a job. AI will create difficulties in that area. Some parts are clearly visible today," Mittal reportedly said. Despite the looming challenges, Mittal asserted that AI will also create new job opportunities and that leveraging this technology is imperative for India's growth. "Using AI will become absolutely important for everyone, especially in emerging countries like India," he said. Calling for stronger policy support, Mittal urged the government to create an enabling environment to drive industrial growth. He presented a set of recommendations to ease regulatory hurdles, including reforms in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), improvements in the Ease of Doing Business, and a more competitive corporate tax regime. According to another report, calling for the co-creation of policies, he said, "The dream of Viksit Bharat needs acceleration. Industry must actively work with the government to identify policy gaps and suggest frameworks that create real velocity in building India. Let us hear the government's views, understand their expectations, and contribute meaningfully." Mittal also underscored India's demographic advantage, pointing out that as developed economies age and immigration restrictions rise, India's young population stands as a strategic asset. "Industry and academia must go beyond surface-level collaboration and jointly build a globally competitive, job-ready workforce. Emerging fields such as AI, green energy, space communication, and next-gen telecom demand urgent attention," he said, as mentioned in the report. Also Read: Airtel Launches AI-Powered Real-Time Fraud Detection Solution in Haryana The Bharti Enterprises chairman expressed concern over India's limited investment in research and development (R&D), which remains under 1 percent of GDP. He called on the private sector to step up and invest in deep tech and innovation. "Our large domestic market gives us scale, but we need intellectual leadership too. Only then can the government scale its R&D efforts with confidence," he reportedly said. Mittal also advocated for a fundamental reset in India's trade strategy, emphasising the need to diversify exports and prioritise value addition. "We must diversify our export basket and focus on products and services that are needed globally. No raw material should leave our shores without value addition," he asserted, underlining the importance of a modernised and forward-looking export policy.