Wipro's Rishad Premji says AI value lies in solving real-world problems at scale

Technology creates real value only when it is applied responsibly to solve real-world problems at scale, Wipro Executive Chairman Rishad Premji said on 19 February, as India positions itself at the centre of the global artificial intelligence push.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Premji said the global technology conversation has reached an “inflection point,” shifting from experimentation to large-scale adoption.

“The conversation has fundamentally shifted from possibility to practicality, from experimentation to adoption, and from pilots to scale impact,” Premji said. “This shift matters, and it matters tremendously, because technology creates value only when it is applied to solve real-world problems responsibly and at scale.”

Premji said India’s leadership in the next phase of AI would rest on its large talent base and innovation ecosystem. The country currently has about 650,000 AI professionals, a figure expected to double by 2027, making it “truly the AI and talent destination of the world,” he said.

He also pointed to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as proof that technology can scale when designed for broad access, citing roughly 20 billion monthly transactions on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Premji highlighted several examples of AI delivering measurable impact, including satellite imagery helping farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra reduce crop losses by “nearly 25%,” and portable AI-powered X-ray devices enabling early tuberculosis screening in rural Tamil Nadu.

India’s long-term advantage, Premji said, will depend on responsible deployment choices rather than technological capability alone.

“The dividing line will not be human versus machine; it will truly be between those who adapt and those who hesitate to adapt,” he said.