‘AI performs best when tied to workflows and data’

As Indian enterprises accelerate the shift from AI pilots to production-scale deployment, Salesforce is placing its bets on Agentforce—a platform designed to embed autonomous AI agents directly into enterprise workflows.

- Sudhir Chowdhary

These agents go beyond chat-based assistance, with the ability to reason, access enterprise data and execute tasks across functions such as sales, service and operations. Arun Kumar Parameswaran, EVP & MD, Salesforce, South Asia, speaks to Sudhir Chowdhary on why India is fast emerging as a key growth market for agentic AI—and what it signals for the next phase of enterprise transformation. Excerpts:

How is agentic AI changing enterprise tech priorities in India?

India's core challenge has always been solving at scale, and agentic AI is opening new ways to do that. Unlike traditional chatbots that follow predefined rules, AI agents can reason, understand context, access data and take action.

That ability to operate at scale is what makes agentic AI transformative for India, especially when paired with strong trust frameworks and viable cost economics.

Which industries see AI as a strategic priority today?