1. Automation Anywhere (Dominic Pereira, VP, Product Management, Automation Anywhere):
“Automation and AI are now central to India’s enterprise competitiveness and long-term economic growth. Budget 2026 presents a timely opportunity to align fiscal priorities and accelerate the shift from AI pilots to scaled, enterprise-wide adoption.
Sustained and responsible AI growth will depend on targeted investment in data governance, secure digital infrastructure, and industry-academia skilling programs. Building on existing AI Centres of Excellence, the Budget can strengthen training and reskilling efforts, preparing the workforce for transition while ensuring AI delivers broad societal benefits. This will also support indigenous innovation and help address critical challenges in sectors such as healthcare and education.
Beyond efficiency gains, automation and AI enable higher-value work, global competitiveness, and more inclusive growth. Consistent policy support across governance, skills, and ecosystem development can accelerate enterprise transformation, attract global investment, and create high-quality digital jobs—laying the foundation for an ethical, resilient, and future-ready digital economy.”
– Dominic Pereira, VP, Product Management, Automation Anywhere
2. Qlik (Varun Babbar, VP and India MD, Qlik):
“India’s AI moment has arrived, but Budget 2026 will determine whether we lead or follow. Nearly half of Indian organizations now have AI in production, but scaling remains the challenge, not because of technology gaps, but due to fragmented data infrastructure and acute skills shortages.
The Budget must move beyond announcements to execution on three fronts:
First, establish clear data governance standards. AI is only as reliable as the data powering it. We need regulatory frameworks that ensure data quality, security, and interoperability across sectors, especially in banking, healthcare, and public services where AI decisions directly impact lives.
Second, fund regional AI infrastructure. The IndiaAI Mission is a strong start, but its impact depends on reaching beyond metros. Budget 2026 should allocate resources to establish at least 20 AI Centres of Excellence in Tier 2 and 3 cities, creating local innovation hubs rather than concentrating talent in Bengaluru and Hyderabad alone.
Third, invest in practical skilling at scale. We don’t need more theoretical AI courses; we need programs that train engineers, data professionals, and domain experts to deploy AI responsibly in real-world settings. Industry-academia partnerships with outcome-based funding can accelerate this.
Without these foundations, AI investments will deliver inconsistent results, and India will remain a talent exporter rather than an innovation leader. The opportunity isn’t just economic, it’s about building AI solutions designed for Indian challenges, from multilingual interfaces to rural healthcare diagnostics.
This Budget can set the trajectory for the next decade of India’s AI economy. The question is whether we’ll invest in the infrastructure that makes AI trustworthy and scalable, or continue experimenting while others execute.”