Indian executives are adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve productivity, efficiency, and business performance. However, business leaders who prepare their workforce as thoughtfully as they select AI platforms will unlock the highest return on their investments.
Marsh’s Global Talent Trends 2026 report shows that organisations increasingly recognise AI as a driver of business performance, with 63% of executives identifying redesigning work around AI and automation as the people initiative most likely to deliver return on investment. Yet only 32% of these leaders believe their workforce is well positioned to combine human and machine capabilities effectively, highlighting that technology alone is not enough to drive business outcomes.
This is echoed in Marsh’s India People Risk 2026 research, where 49% of HR and Risk professionals say organisations are investing in AI without adequately preparing employees through training and upskilling, while 43% identify employee resistance driven by concerns around job security or change fatigue as a key challenge. Together, these findings reinforce that organisations realise the greatest value from AI when they invest in preparing their people alongside the technology.
Across Indian workplaces, organisations are seeing curiosity and caution coexist as employees adapt to new AI tools. Some employees are eager to experiment with new tools, while others are still trying to understand what AI means for their role or how best to use it. This is a natural part of adopting any new technology, particularly one that is evolving as quickly as AI.
{{/usCountry}}Across Indian workplaces, organisations are seeing curiosity and caution coexist as employees adapt to new AI tools. Some employees are eager to experiment with new tools, while others are still trying to understand what AI means for their role or how best to use it. This is a natural part of adopting any new technology, particularly one that is evolving as quickly as AI.
{{/usCountry}}As organisations continue to invest in AI capabilities, there is an opportunity to ensure employees and managers are equally prepared for the transition. Building awareness, strengthening understanding and encouraging open conversations about AI can help employees adopt these technologies with greater confidence while enabling organisations to realise their full potential.
When C-suite leaders communicate both the business objectives of AI adoption and its implications for employees, they can help build greater understanding and confidence across the workforce. Employees want clarity on how new technologies will affect the way they work and the skills they will need to develop. By encouraging regular conversations and providing practical guidance, managers can support employees through change while helping build a more adaptable and resilient workforce.
Many corporate leaders have already initiated enterprise-wide upskilling programs, AI training programmes, recognising that employees require updated technical capabilities to stay competitive. trainers build essential foundations, organisations achieve superior business outcomes when department leaders pair instruction with practical operational contexts.
When employees understand not only how to execute software prompts, but why executives introduced the tool to solve specific client problems, workers embrace digital workflows eagerly.
Executive teams rely on mid-level managers to translate strategy into day-to-day execution, particularly during periods of change. Marsh's India People Risk 2026 research identifies leadership capability as an important consideration for organisations navigating technological change, with managers lacking supervisory skills emerging as a key workforce risk. The research also found that fewer than half of surveyed risk professionals said their organisations systematically assess or develop managerial capability.
Frontline managers play a critical role in helping employees adapt to new ways of working. By equipping managers with clear communication, decision-making authority and coaching skills, organisations can better support employees through change while helping them adopt new technologies with greater confidence.
The encouraging news is that organisations do not necessarily need large-scale transformation programmes to build workforce confidence. Often, meaningful progress comes from consistently doing a few things well: communicating openly about what is changing and why, providing practical reskilling opportunities, and enabling managers to have regular conversations with their teams.
India's workforce has already demonstrated a strong willingness to embrace new technologies. The opportunity now is to ensure employees feel equally supported as organisations continue their AI journey.
AI will continue to shape how organisations operate and compete in the years ahead. As AI adoption accelerates, the focus is increasingly shifting from technology deployment to how effectively organisations prepare their people for change.
Organisations that invest in managerial capability, transparent communication and workforce development are likely to be better positioned to realise long-term value from their AI investments. Ultimately, sustainable business outcomes will depend not only on the technology organisations adopt, but also on how confidently their people are supported through the transition.
Indian workers consistently show a strong willingness to learn. When leaders provide structured organisational support, teams convert that willingness into measurable business performance.
(The views expressed are personal)
This article is authored by Prawal Kalita, managing director, health and benefits, Marsh India.