SAS Sets Artificial Intelligence Vision With India at the Core

From agentic AI and synthetic data to quantum-classical models, SAS combines innovation and governance to support India's digital future, as Noshin Kagalwalla, Vice President and Managing Director for India, and global leaders shape the next phase of AI-driven innovation

- By Noor Fathima Warsia

EVEN AS AI becomes mission-critical for tech majors, each is charting its own distinct path. For SAS, the focus is on creating advanced AI solutions, and also ensuring they are governed, explainable and tuned for local relevance. In a world grappling with the dual challenge of scaling AI and embedding trust, the next phase of AI development is likely to impact various markets, including India, where digital transformation is surging across sectors.

SAS' Chief Technology Officer Bryan Harris articulated the company's ambition, saying, “Our goal is to deliver cutting-edge AI capabilities that help organisations navigate the hype and disruption, make breakthroughs in problem solving, and gain a decision advantage.”

For India, these innovations could not be more timely. “In regulated sectors like finance, government and healthcare, enterprises need governed AI, and Viya delivers precisely that. It also enables the creation of agentic AI systems that automate complex decisions while maintaining human oversight, aligning perfectly with India's evolving AI governance priorities,” explains Noshin Kagalwalla, Vice President & Managing Director, SAS India.

Agentic AI

SAS’ enhanced agentic AI framework is a big focus area for 2025. The solution is designed to help enterprises strike the right balance between autonomous decision-making and human control. This is particularly relevant for India's regulated industries, where the need for accountability matches the demand for automation.

SAS Viya's agentic AI lets organisations configure the degree of autonomy their AI agents have, depending on the complexity of tasks, risk exposure and regulatory mandates. “What Indian organisations want is the ability to act faster and smarter without losing sight of oversight and compliance,” Kagalwalla notes, adding, “With SAS Viya, they can tune that balance and build systems that are both efficient and responsible.”