Microsoft report shows Indian companies preparing for AI-led future of work

Microsoft has published a report which says that Indian companies are making major changes to how they prepare for the

future of work

, with most planning to bring artificial intelligence into daily business operations. According to the India findings of Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index, 93% of business leaders in the country expect to use AI agents to support employees within the next 12 to 18 months.The study shows that many firms are already redesigning their operations to include human–AI collaboration. About 59% of leaders surveyed said their organizations are using AI agents to automate tasks across teams and business processes. Microsoft refers to such companies as “frontier firms,” which it says are setting the pace in adopting new work structures.Indian leaders are also signaling a wider reset in their strategies. Around 90% of business executives in India said this year is critical for rethinking business models, the highest figure globally. About 64% said they are prioritizing productivity gains through AI adoption, while a large majority confirmed they will use digital agents to expand workforce capacity in the near term.New roles are also emerging. Ninety-two percent of leaders said their companies are considering AI-focused positions such as workflow designers and software operators, while more than half expect teams to build multi-agent systems to manage complex functions. This shift is prompting companies to increase investment in training. Fifty-one percent of executives said upskilling will be their top focus over the next year, with 63% of managers expecting AI training to become a standard responsibility for teams within five years.

Microsoft’s report also underlined India’s readiness. Two-thirds of employees and 80% of leaders in India are already familiar with AI agents, showing a workforce that is prepared to use AI as a partner in productivity.Globally, Microsoft reported that its Copilot applications now have more than 100 million monthly active users, the fastest adoption rate in the history of Microsoft 365. Across its portfolio, more than 800 million people are using

AI-powered features

each month. In the last quarter alone, customers created more than 1 million custom AI agents using Copilot Studio, highlighting rapid growth in enterprise use of AI.The company said that Indian businesses are not just experimenting with AI but are beginning to scale its use across operations, setting the stage for an AI-driven workplace model.