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Informist, Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The role of information technology services will not diminish, it will rather become more important because of the rise in use of artificial intelligence, Tech Mahindra Ltd. Chairman Anand Mahindra said at the company's 39th annual general meeting Friday. "Most enterprises operate with legacy systems, fragmented data, complex regulations and technology debt. AI can't simply be placed on top of this complexity. It has to be integrated, governed, and shaped around each enterprise's context," Mahindra said, adding this is why IT services companies matter--to make AI usable, trusted, and valuable inside the enterprise.

 

Mahindra later said AI will challenge old models, but it will also create one of the largest opportunities the industry has ever seen, which is to help enterprises and nations convert intelligence into trusted impact.

 

He likened the evolving AI technology to smartphones, saying that the latter only becomes indispensable because of the applications, the connectivity, and enterprises that bring it to life. "In the AI era, companies like Tech Mahindra provide just that enabling layer — turning a very powerful technology into an intelligent business partner that delivers real value," he added.

 

Mahindra reiterated a recently made statement that while building sovereign models is important, enterprises will increasingly need the ability to work across models. Some models may become more interchangeable over time, he said. According to the business titan, what will truly differentiate an enterprise is its own "alpha", meaning its data, workflows, judgment, and domain knowledge. "Our role at Tech Mahindra is to help preserve that alpha through the platforms, the solutions, and workflows that sit above and around the model," he said.

 

He said Tech Mahindra's view is that the enterprises of tomorrow will be built on human judgement amplified by AI capability. Referring to the company's Project Helix, Mahindra said, "Through this programme, Vector Squads will interweave human expertise with AI agents, like two strands of DNA, combining domain knowledge, engineering depth, governance and responsible AI practices around each client's context."

 

On frontier AI, Mahindra said it is not just a commercial technology but increasingly a strategic capability, shaped by trust, regulation, national interest, and sovereignty. He stressed that India cannot be only a consumer of intelligence built elsewhere but must also be a creator, shaper, and trusted deployer of intelligence.

 

"And India has a unique advantage in this respect — it is something what I have long called denial-driven innovation. The best 'can do' spirit often emerges when we are told we cannot do something, or we denied a technology," Mahindra said, urging that the very same instinct must now be brought to Sovereign AI.  End

 

Reported by Shakshi Jain

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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