Nandan Nilekani described artificial intelligence as root and branch surgery rather than incremental improvement, emphasizing that the technology fundamentally restructures business operations rather than simply optimizing existing processes. Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, Nilekani articulated a vision of AI as transformative force requiring complete rethinking of organizational structures, workflows, and value creation models.
The metaphor distinguishes AI from previous waves of digital transformation that largely automated existing processes while preserving underlying business logic. True AI transformation, he argued, requires questioning fundamental assumptions about how work gets done, who performs it, and how value flows through organizations.
This comprehensive approach affects every organizational layer—from front-line operations through middle management to strategic decision-making. AI doesn’t simply make existing roles more efficient; it eliminates some roles entirely while creating others that didn’t previously exist. Organizations must redesign workflows around AI capabilities rather than retrofitting AI into existing structures.
Amplifying country’s demographic dividend and digital public infrastructure is inclusive access to AI infrastructure through initiatives like subsidized compute and open datasets could accelerate adoption beyond what purely market-driven models achieve. This enables small businesses and startups to experiment with AI without prohibitive upfront investments – thereby creating the right ecosystem to leverage true transformative promise AI holds if approached fundamentally.
