Indian Firms Prioritize AI Spending Amidst Data Challenges
Nearly seven in ten Indian businesses are poised to escalate their artificial intelligence (AI) investments over the next year, according to the latest Dun & Bradstreet AI Momentum Survey. This ambitious push towards AI adoption, however, is shadowed by a significant data readiness gap that threatens to limit the broader returns on these investments.
The survey highlights a critical disparity: while investment ambition surges, only 3% of Indian enterprises describe their data as fully prepared to support AI at scale. This figure lags considerably behind the global average of 8%, exposing a fundamental obstacle for companies aiming to transition from experimental pilots to enterprise-wide AI advantage.
The Data Readiness Imperative for ROI
The study establishes a direct correlation between robust data foundations and financial returns. Businesses in India boasting fully AI-ready data report broad or strong AI return on investment (ROI) at 6.3 times the rate of those with only partially ready data. Currently, 30% of Indian respondents indicate broad or strong returns from their AI initiatives, with an additional 46% observing pockets of ROI.
Accelerating AI Adoption and Future Outlook
Despite the data challenges, AI adoption milestones continue to advance rapidly across the Indian market. More than 60% of businesses have moved beyond initial planning and piloting phases. Specifically, 35% are scaling pilots into production, and 26% are embedding AI across multiple core business processes.
Looking ahead, a substantial 69% of businesses anticipate boosting their AI budgets over the next 12 months. Furthermore, nearly 70% expect AI to directly drive new products, services, business models, or operational enhancements within the upcoming quarter, underscoring a strong belief in AI's transformative potential.
Addressing Workforce Capabilities
Workforce capabilities represent another crucial variable in the successful deployment of AI. The survey indicates that only 25% of Indian businesses report strong or very strong workforce readiness. Half of the respondents describe internal capabilities as mixed, suggesting that access to technology is currently outpacing the organizational skills required to effectively harness it.
“India has reached an exciting inflection point in its AI journey. The ambition is clearly visible, and businesses are increasingly seeing tangible returns from their AI investments,” remarked Julian Prower, Executive Vice President, Global Business Operations & Transformation and Managing Director & CEO, India & Taiwan, Dun & Bradstreet. “But the next chapter will be about moving from AI adoption to AI advantage. As enterprises embed AI more deeply across operations and decision-making, the quality of the underlying foundation will determine the quality of the outcomes. Trusted, connected and well-governed data, combined with an AI-ready workforce, will be critical to scaling AI responsibly and effectively.”
Businesses that prioritize these foundational elements—data quality, governance, and workforce upskilling—are poised to make sharper decisions, innovate with greater confidence, and convert their AI momentum into sustainable growth and enduring competitive advantage.