Exclusive | How AI Is Reshaping India: Microsoft's Rajiv Kumar On Jobs, Innovation, And Infrastructure
"AI should be considered as a thought partner," says Microsoft India Development Centre President and MD Rajiv Kumar in an interview with Eenadu-ETV Bharat.
Published : October 9, 2025 at 7:54 PM IST
Hyderabad: Artificial intelligence has long started to reshape jobs across industries. As companies embrace AI, even the customer care experience has largely shifted to chatbots, with machines handling user queries and resolving complaints, requiring human intervention only when necessary. AI agents, capable of making decisions based on their environment, are making a greater impact as the autonomous system learns, reasons, and adapts to complex tasks across domains. In an exclusive interview with Eenadu-ETV Bharat, Microsoft India Development Centre President and MD Rajiv Kumar not only talked about the impact of AI on job opportunities but also discussed the software major's initiatives and investments in India. The following is an excerpt of the conversation:
Q: How is the Indian AI market going to change in the next few years? What is Microsoft's role in that growth?
Rajiv Kumar: Examining the Indian AI market, it appears that India is not only embracing emerging technologies but also establishing itself as a global leader in this space. Our August report highlights this momentum, revealing that India is poised to drive AI-led leadership transformation on a global scale. An overwhelming 90 per cent of business leaders view 2025 as a pivotal year to reimagine their core strategies and workforce models.
Indian companies stand out for their distinctive approach to AI adoption. They are using AI very effectively. We call such companies 'frontier firms'. They are pioneering new models of collaboration between humans and AI agents, marking a strategic reset in the workplace, redefining productivity and innovation.
Microsoft is committed to 'India AI First'. We aim to help companies across all sectors consider AI as a thought partner. We are proud to bring world-class innovations to the AI stack.
Q: You say that it is important for human resources-AI agents to work together. Are there any Indian companies that have achieved good results by doing this?
Rajiv Kumar: Yes. This year, AI agents have evolved into intelligent and proactive partners in the workplace. Indian companies aren’t just talking about AI, they've fully embedded it into their work culture.
For example, ‘Contract Assist’ was built by Persistent Systems on Microsoft 365 Copilot. Through this, negotiation time is reduced by 70 per cent and emails by 95 per cent. Another example is 'e-Sanjeevani', India’s national telemedicine platform built on Microsoft Azure. It’s delivering healthcare services to millions in rural areas who previously lacked access. In the case of ‘Atomic Work’, AI agents like Atom have transformed the way services are managed. Not only have they provided faster responses, but they have also reduced costs.
In this way, AI has become a productive engine. If we look at these examples, we can see a radical change in the way work is done. It is spreading from boardrooms to classrooms, from financial services companies to farmers. India is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.
Q: What new jobs have you heard about in India with the advent of AI? What steps is Microsoft taking to develop the skills of its employees?
Rajiv Kumar: New roles like AI trainers, agent specialists, ROI analysts, and AI security experts are already emerging. Just as the internet era gave rise to jobs that never existed before, AI is now creating entirely new opportunities. What professionals need most is AI fluency—knowing how to get things done with AI agents, not just using them as tools, but guiding them and collaborating with them as thought partners.
That’s why we launched the Advantage India program last year, aiming to train 20 lakh people by 2025. In less than a year, we’ve already trained 24 lakh individuals—65 per cent of whom are women. Through our partnership with SaaSbumi, we are supporting India's Software as a Service (SaaS) startups and aspiring entrepreneurs. This initiative will impact thousands of startups and help create 2 lakh new jobs.
Q: What skills do young people need to learn to seize the job opportunities that AI brings?
Rajiv Kumar: Companies and employees who transform AI from a command-based tool to a thinking partner will thrive. This means developing prompting skills—not just to generate first drafts, but to tailor prompts based on context and intent, and to continuously refine the output. Moreover, one should know when to make decisions and where to use creativity.
Companies should also set up intelligence resources departments to manage digital staff in addition to HR and IT departments. Managing the ratio of humans to AI agents properly becomes inevitable.
Q: You say that AI will not eliminate jobs and will enhance human resource efficiency. How will this change in different industries?
Rajiv Kumar: AI is like a ‘copilot’ for all of us. In industries like logistics, finance, and product development, while humans are making decisions and adding creativity, AI agents are taking over the scale, speed, and repetitive tasks. This change is creating new job opportunities. Frontier companies are also witnessing the emergence of ‘agent bosses’, where employees work effectively with their digital colleague.
Q: Microsoft has announced an investment of $3 billion in AI in India. Are there any plans to bring growth and innovation to the country with this?
Rajiv Kumar: We are focusing on building cloud and AI infrastructure with the $3 billion investment announced earlier this year. We aim to have a supercomputing system in India. Through this, we will support startups, research, and companies. We aim to provide innovations in line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Vikasit Bharat'.
At the same time, we will provide people with the skills they need in the new era. With the second edition of 'Advantage India', we will train one crore people on AI in the next five years. We are increasing our partnership with startups with the 'AI Innovation Network'. We are conducting research towards providing real-world solutions.
Q: How is the tech ecosystem changing in Telangana? Is there any opportunity for investments/partnerships in this state?
Rajiv Kumar: Telangana has been a cornerstone of Microsoft's journey in India. It has been home to the Microsoft India Development Centre (IDC) for the last 27 years. This is the largest R&D campus outside the US. Under 'Advantage Telangana', we have provided AI-ready skills to 1.2 lakh people. As part of this, we have trained 50,000 students in 500 government schools and 20,000 professionals in the industry with 'AI Foundations Academy'. We have enhanced the skills of 50,000 government officials in generative AI and cybersecurity. We are committed to supporting the goals of the state of Telangana.
Q: What aspects of the Indian tech ecosystem do you find most promising? Where can there be more opportunity for innovation?
Rajiv Kumar: India is one of the most active developer ecosystems in the world. GitHub is adding 1 million developers from India every three months. There are now 1.8 crore developers in the country. There is no other developer platform growing this fast in the world. Experts are also growing in tier-II and tier-III cities. This is something that will change the future of not only India but also the world. Microsoft IDC is supporting this. With AI Stack, we offer many innovations, from GPU to system design and from Copilot Studio to AI search.
