'TCS onboarded 16K in Dec qtr'

Some would argue that TCS has been a bit late in explicitly calling out its Al-first focus, especially since competitors have been talking about and working on being AI-first for nearly two years.

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How do you respond, and what has been happening internally?= I would disagree with the view that we have been late. In fact, a recent Everest report places TCS near the top in terms of talent readiness and what we are doing internally on AI. Each organisation also has its own communication style. At TCS, we communicate externally only when there is something material to share and when we are confident about both the direction and the execution. We were among the first to introduce platforms such as WisdomNext as a pilot and bring it to market. We also laid out an early architecture on how organisations can adopt Al in a structured manner. Since the time generative AI gained traction, we have engaged with customers at every summit, discussing how we can help them adopt Al effectively. From that standpoint, we genuinely believe we have been ahead of the curve compared to many organisations, even if we chose to articulate that focus publicly at a later stage.

What does it mean to be an AI-first company?

= It has multiple dimensions. The most important one for me is this: in everything we do, Al is the first lens we apply. Whenever we commit to a customer outcome, the starting question is whether we are leveraging Al to drive better productivity, improved customer experience, or faster delivery. The same principle applies to employee skilling, capability building, and internal systems. That is why we articulated our five-pillar strategy — internal transformation, service delivery, workforce, customer value, and ecosystem impact. Across these areas, the question we ask is if we are leveraging Al and whether it is the default option.

TCS’ Al focus has meant being more acquisitive. Your comment?