India’s global capability centres are moving into a new phase of maturity as artificial intelligence becomes central to enterprise transformation strategies. Once primarily focused on cost efficiency and back office operations, GCCs are now emerging as critical hubs for AI driven innovation, product development and decision intelligence across global enterprises.
Recent industry research indicates that more than 126,000 professionals across India’s GCC ecosystem are actively engaged in AI related roles, reflecting a sharp increase in enterprise demand for applied intelligence. These professionals are working across areas such as machine learning engineering, data science, AI platform development, automation, and domain specific AI solutions for functions ranging from finance and supply chain to marketing and customer experience.
India hosts one of the largest GCC ecosystems globally, with centres operated by multinational companies across technology, banking, manufacturing, healthcare and consumer sectors. Over the past decade, these centres have steadily expanded their scope beyond support functions to take ownership of core digital capabilities. The rapid rise of AI has further accelerated this shift, positioning GCCs as strategic contributors to enterprise competitiveness.
Enterprise leaders are increasingly relying on GCCs to build and scale AI systems that can be deployed across global operations. This includes developing predictive analytics models, generative AI applications, intelligent automation workflows and AI enabled decision platforms. As AI adoption moves from experimentation to production, GCCs are playing a key role in translating research into scalable business outcomes.
Talent availability remains a major factor driving this transformation. India’s deep pool of engineering and data science talent has made it a preferred destination for enterprises looking to build large AI teams. GCCs are investing heavily in upskilling programmes, internal AI academies and partnerships with technology providers to ensure their workforce can keep pace with rapid advances in AI technologies.
The nature of AI work within GCCs is also evolving. Early efforts were largely focused on data preparation and model development. Today, teams are increasingly involved in end to end AI lifecycle management, including model governance, ethical AI frameworks, performance monitoring and integration with enterprise systems. This reflects growing enterprise awareness of the risks and responsibilities associated with large scale AI deployment.
Generative AI has further reshaped priorities within GCCs. Many centres are now responsible for building internal copilots, knowledge assistants and workflow automation tools that enhance employee productivity across global organisations. These solutions are being designed with enterprise controls around data security, compliance and reliability, reinforcing the strategic importance of GCC led AI development.
From a business perspective, the shift toward AI centric GCCs is also changing how success is measured. Rather than focusing solely on cost savings, enterprises are evaluating GCC performance based on innovation output, speed to market and contribution to revenue growth. This has led to greater integration between GCC leadership and global business units, with AI initiatives often aligned directly to enterprise transformation goals.
Infrastructure investments are rising in parallel. Many GCCs are expanding their cloud and data platforms to support large scale AI workloads. This includes investments in data engineering, MLOps pipelines and secure AI environments that enable experimentation while meeting regulatory and governance requirements. As enterprises operate across multiple geographies, GCCs are increasingly responsible for ensuring AI systems comply with diverse regulatory regimes.
The growing strategic role of GCCs is also influencing leadership structures. Organisations are appointing senior AI and data leaders within their India centres, often with global mandates. These leaders are tasked with shaping enterprise AI roadmaps, coordinating cross regional teams and ensuring consistent standards across AI initiatives.
Challenges remain. Competition for experienced AI talent is intense, and retaining skilled professionals requires continuous investment in learning and career development. Enterprises must also manage the complexity of scaling AI responsibly, particularly as models become more autonomous and impactful. GCCs are at the forefront of addressing these challenges, given their proximity to both technology development and enterprise operations.
Looking ahead, industry observers expect India’s GCCs to play an even more prominent role in shaping how enterprises adopt and govern AI. As organisations seek to embed intelligence across products and processes, GCCs are likely to evolve into centres of excellence for applied AI, combining technical depth with business understanding.
This transition marks a significant milestone in the evolution of India’s role in the global technology landscape. From support centres to strategic AI engines, GCCs are redefining their value proposition in an era where artificial intelligence is becoming a core driver of enterprise growth and competitiveness.