Artificial Intelligence (AI) Appreciation Day falls on July 16 as the technology expands in terms of its usage and influence in the country, according to experts.
Indian startups and researchers have been working on the technology for years to build practical solutions. “Over the past year, the focus on AI has shifted to practical applications, with researchers, enterprises and executives integrating the technology into their daily workflows,” said Rashid Khan, chief product officer and co-founder, Yellow.ai.
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India will become the epicenter of global AI use cases, Infosys co-founder and chairman Nandan Nilekani said in May. “India's path in AI is different. We're not in an arms race to create the next LLM. Leave it to whoever has the capital, whoever wants to sell chips. We're here to make a difference. Our goal is to put this technology in people's hands,” he said.
From agriculture to healthcare, a variety of use cases are emerging in India. Customer service is a major area where generative AI (GenAI), which generates text, images, computer code and other content from existing information, has rapidly impacted. According to industry insiders, GenAI has enabled conversational and intuitive AI chat and voice assistants.
Powered by LLM, the core software of the new AI system, such applications will not only handle basic customer service issues but also handle complex queries, creating a natural, human-like flow in the conversation.
“GenAI in customer service automates support for tasks like tracking orders, booking demos, resolving complaints and processing refunds. It also personalizes customer interactions by providing proactive product recommendations, customized discounts and special offers,” Khan said.
AI can analyze data more precisely, personalize customer experiences, and automate manual processes, thanks to a technology called natural language processing (NLP).
Industry insiders feel that NLP has enabled conversational AI platforms to offer more user-friendly conversational platforms and more responsive customer support solutions.
Ankush Sabharwal, founder and CEO of conversational AI platform CoRover, said in the healthcare sector, AI can help with patient management, personalised treatment and early detection of diseases.
“AI algorithms help with customer behavior and provide personalized recommendations, thereby improving customer experience and increasing sales. These systems forecast demand more accurately and help retailers manage inventory more efficiently and reduce waste. AI and GenAI are having a profound impact on productivity, creativity and efficiency across industries,” said Sabharwal.
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, head of AI research at Zoho, an Indian software-as-a-service company, said 2023 will be a pivotal year for AI in India.
Zoho has used AI to enhance decision making for customers and employees. “While digitally mature sectors such as fintech and digital marketing are already benefiting from AI, homegrown innovations such as UPI and ONDC are going to go a long way in accelerating the digital transformation of SMEs and making them ready for AI adoption,” he said, referring to the Unified Payments Interface and the Open Network for Digital Commerce.
“The positive impact is clear – increased productivity, reduced operational costs and more contextual recommendations on next-best actions to support strategic decision-making. The role of AI will only expand and its importance in India's digital ecosystem will become even more consolidated,” Ramamoorthy said.
