AI agents to match physical workforce at TCS soon: Chairman N Chandrasekaran

TCS had a workforce of 5.85 lakh globally as of March 2026.

He said the AI tools definitely reduce the need for human input in the building and maintenance of software.

“However, Al does more than reduce the effort. It is not merely a technology. It is an infrastructure. It is an infrastructure of intelligence. If you look back at the history when such an infrastructural shift happens, opportunities expand,” TCS Chairman said.

On the rapid rise in use of AI, he said, “Today Al primarily exists in the world of software and computers but soon it will take shape into the physical world in stores, factories, warehouses, energy networks, vehicles and supply chains.”

This will require experts who understand how to link an Al and physical equipment infrastructure, he said.

He said the cloud made technology is central to every industry.

“AI will do a lot more than any of these examples at a greater scale and across a wider canvas.
As the cost of intelligence falls, many more processes, decisions and interactions in many more industries will become candidates for Al-driven transformation,” Chandrasekaran said.

“I have watched this industry navigate every major technology way for decades, but I feel this one will have much to build. The global enterprise IT industry which is currently worth 1.6 trillion is expected to double to three trillion in the next 5 to 10 years,” he said.

So, this presents a significant number of opportunities, he said. “I’m going to specify five important opportunities. The first is updating the primary technological functions that large businesses rely on. Many businesses are still working on outdated systems, old world infrastructure, fragmented data, weak cyber security. Overhauling these functions is the starting point for any enterprise AI deployment,” Chandrasekaran said.

The second is using Al to reimagine how the businesses operate, he said. AI demands a redesign of how work gets done end to end from supply chains to customer journeys.

This requires deep domain and customer knowledge and TCS has that understanding of the customers’ businesses, the value proposition and the complexity of their IT systems, he said.

TCS is engaged with many customers in building such an Al platform.

“Recently it completed an implementation for a global bank. The third is managing and overseeing Al within organisations,” he said.

“As use of Al by governments and regulated institutions increases, so will the need to own and control own Al technology leading to more demand for sovereign cloud and data infrastructure,” Chandrasekaran said.

“TCS is building exactly this. TCS has launched a sovereign Al infrastructure for India as well as Europe,” he said.