TCS to have as many AI agents as human employees: Chandrasekaran

“If the company has half a million employees, the day is not far when it will have half a million AI agents,” he was quoted as saying by Business Standard while speaking at the company’s 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM).

He added that the future workplace will be defined by close collaboration between humans and AI agents. “The question will be what all can be done by agents, and those tasks will be handled by them. Employees and AI agents will work together—that will be the future,” he said.

Commenting on hiring trends, Chandrasekaran noted that the pace of recruitment in the IT industry is likely to change as AI takes over certain types of work. “The company and the industry are unlikely to hire the same number of people because certain portions of the work being done will move to AI agents,” he said.

However, he stressed that this shift does not signal a decline in opportunities.

“Once the transition happens, the AI world will create many more opportunities. New kinds of talent will be required,” he added.

He further said the global enterprise IT industry, currently valued at around $1.6 trillion, is expected to grow to $3 trillion within the next decade, effectively doubling in size.

“AI is raising the ambition of what technology can deliver across every sector,” Chandrasekaran said.

He also highlighted the growing importance of sovereign AI infrastructure as governments and regulated institutions increase their adoption of artificial intelligence. This will drive demand for secure, compliant systems and “sovereign cloud” solutions.

“As use of AI by governments and regulated institutions increases, so will the need to own and control AI technology, leading to more demand for sovereign cloud and data infrastructure. They will need help connecting AI to existing IT systems and ensuring optimal compliance and oversight. This is long-term and complex work that requires expertise and institutional credibility,” he said.

TCS has already begun developing sovereign AI infrastructure for India and Europe, aimed at delivering AI capabilities aligned with strict data sovereignty, security, and compliance requirements.

Chandrasekaran also noted that AI will increasingly extend beyond software into the physical world, transforming industries such as retail, manufacturing, logistics, energy, transportation, and supply chains.

“This will require experts who understand how to link IT, AI, and physical equipment and infrastructure,” he said, citing an example where TCS deployed an agentic AI and physical AI solution using a four-legged robot equipped with cameras and sensors to patrol hazardous warehouse environments that previously required human workers.