India's digital maturity uniquely enables it to capitalize on the third wave of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist millions of underserved citizens in education, healthcare, and customer service, as AI-powered workforces become “limitless” in their ability to serve customers. 

“There are no countries in the world that have the kind of public digital infrastructure that India has. This positions us uniquely to leverage the third wave of AI, which is the agentic layer, in the areas of education, healthcare, and customer service,” Bhattacharya said, while addressing media at the launch of Salesforce AI Pitchfield, in Bengaluru on Thursday .

Artificial intelligence has progressed through three unique phases — starting with simple predictive analytics, transitioning to generative AI, and currently reaching the agentic layer, which includes sophisticated reasoning abilities. This recent development allows AI systems to not just produce content and participate in discussions but also perform intricate automated tasks, representing a major leap in enterprise technology.

According to Bhattacharya, India's standing in the AI arena is bolstered by possessing the third-largest startup ecosystem worldwide and the second-largest community of Salesforce platform innovators globally, following the United States. She remarked that the government's Startup India initiative has fostered an atmosphere that effectively encourages innovation, allowing companies to successfully leverage AI advancements.

Since the introduction of its AI capabilities in September last year, the company has initiated several pilot programs with large enterprises, and she noted that adoption trends are demonstrating “phenomenal” progress.