AI adoption within Indian businesses is set to accelerate rapidly with a majority planning to scale up their AI initiatives in the near future, a new joint report by leading global consulting firm Protiviti and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has revealed.

As per a survey conducted by Protiviti and included in the report, 51% of Indian enterprises have confirmed their plans to rapidly expand AI adoption within their organisation, while an additional 32% enterprises note that they plan a gradual expansion (of AI adoption).  

The report, titled “AI Trends and Future Impact: Industry Adoption and Insights” was released today at the 4th edition of the CII International Conference on Artificial Intelligence – The AI India Show 2025.

Sandeep Gupta, Managing Director, Protiviti Member for India, said: “AI is reshaping the world, and India is at the forefront of this shift. With rapid digital adoption, businesses are integrating AI at an accelerated pace, driving economic growth. Encouragingly, over 74% executives are considering Generative AI as one of the critical business imperative and more than 80% are carrying out multiple auditability measures such as, Biasness Audits, AI Governance Framework or Explainable AI tools, demonstrating a commitment to responsible AI.

“As AI becomes more cost-effective, its transformative impact will redefine industries and spur innovation. Protiviti collaborated with CII to deliver key insights into India's AI landscape through the AI Trends and Future Impact report, which we launched at the - 4th edition of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence – The AI India Show 2025.”

The Protiviti survey further reveals that six out of 10 enterprises (59% of respondents) are fully or moderately prepared for implementing AI within their organisation.

The survey findings are based on data collected from senior leaders at over 300 enterprises across diverse industries, including healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, automotive, transportation, telecom and aviation, among others.

The CII-Protiviti report highlights that for Indian enterprises, increasing operational efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and improving decision-making capabilities are the top three business objectives driving AI investments. Further, among various AI technologies, Predictive AI, Chatbots, and Machine Learning have seen the highest implementation rates so far, while Generative AI and Agentic AI are most popular technologies being actively explored for future investments.

While enterprises recognize the transformative potential of AI, the survey also underscores key barriers to its widespread adoption. The top four challenges according to the report include ethical concerns, bias, and legal compliance risks; a shortage of skilled AI professionals; high implementation costs; and data privacy and governance issues.