India’s largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is “not afraid” of artificial intelligence and is comfortable with potential revenue “cannibalisation” resulting from the deployment of AI tools by its associates, a top company official said on Wednesday. Speaking at the annual NTLF event, TCS Managing Director and Chief Executive K Krithivasan said the company actively encourages employees to leverage AI solutions for customers, even if it impacts short-term revenues.
“We encourage our associates to go out to customers and use AI, even if it means cannibalising our revenues,” Krithivasan said.
TCS aims to make 6 lakh employees AI fluent
Krithivasan said TCS is insisting that all its over 6 lakh employees become AI fluent. He emphasised that the company is not afraid of AI replacing jobs and does not see the technology as a threat to livelihoods.
As part of its AI push, TCS has asked associates to explore ways to integrate AI into projects, even if doing so reduces certain revenue streams.
According to Krithivasan, employees are keen to learn AI skills and do not require additional incentives to do so.
Senior employees slower in building AI solutions
Krithivasan noted that senior-level employees are comparatively slower in building AI-based solutions than younger, more “proficient” staff members.
He said that while senior professionals may read extensively about AI, they often do not build practical solutions.
“It is not just about giving a few prompts to a generational AI platform like ChatGPT,” he said, adding that employees need to get hands-on experience and build solutions using AI tools.
AI a ‘civilisational shift,’ now a board-level genda
Describing AI as a “civilisational shift,” Krithivasan said the technology has democratised knowledge and is solving problems that remained unresolved for decades.
He added that AI has now become a board-level agenda, with chief information officers being directed to identify and implement AI-driven solutions.
While AI is expected to improve productivity, TCS remains focused on ensuring tangible benefits for its customers.
AI governance and industry perspective
Amid growing concerns about AI governance, Krithivasan said TCS is exploring mechanisms where AI systems can help govern other AI systems using multiple agents.
At the same event, Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said the lender aims to be a “fast follower” in AI adoption and prefers to “leave the tech to technologists”.
The remarks underscore how artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming central to corporate strategy across sectors, particularly in technology and banking.
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