Global capability centres (GCCs) are expanding in the country, so is the impact of generative AI. Given this dynamic, one question that is worth exploring is can GCCs enhance their capabilities to support the gen AI ambitions of the companies they serve?

Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, Vice President, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, says companies cannot ignore the advantages of artificial intelligence anymore. “GCC leaders are increasingly recognising the transformative potential of AI and are strategically investing in building AI capabilities within their operations,” he says.

Their key approaches include the establishment of AI centres of excellence dedicated to research, development and implementation of AI solutions. GCC leaders also prioritise strategic talent acquisition and are recruiting AI specialists, machine learning experts and data scientists to form a strong foundation for AI initiatives. Adopting agile development practices allows them to quickly adapt to business needs and technological advancements. Moreover, they also collaborate with local academic institutions, research centres and startups, which facilitates knowledge exchange & access to cutting-edge research.

“The adoption of gen AI represents a significant leap in GCCs’ innovative pursuits,” says Vikram Ahuja, Co-Founder ANSR, CEO Talent500. “It opens doors to unprecedented efficiency and problem-solving, enabling GCCs to explore new applications and solutions that redefine conventional boundaries. Operating as an extension of the corporate headquarters, GCCs serve as invaluable ‘sandboxes’ for the seamless implementation of new technologies, offering an ideal, isolated atmosphere where innovative ideas can be tested and refined. Within this environment, ideas for the implementation of new technologies can be systematically conceived, rigorously tested, and seamlessly integrated into the overarching strategic framework of the enterprise.”

How capabilities are getting built
Mahanta says that some of these leaders have already implemented AI solutions, such as automation for task streamlining, personalised customer experiences and predictive analytics for data-driven decision-making. As for the limitations, the shortage of skilled AI professionals is a key challenge. GCCs are focusing on training programmes for employees to enhance the workforce’s AI skills, contributing to overall organisational capabilities. Data privacy and security concerns and complexities in integrating AI with existing legacy systems are also challenges faced by GCC leaders.

As a prominent global centre for research and development, India has emerged as a key player, with a major company indicating that 25% of their filed patents originate from Bengaluru. Given the growing emphasis on artificial intelligence, it becomes imperative for governments and institutions to enhance their skilling initiatives. This is crucial to effectively harness the employment opportunities generated by AI.

Future focus
Ahuja adds that 2024 will witness the GCCs of today enabling a wide range of critical business goals in their roles as centers of excellence, and leveraging generative AI, machine learning, data analytics, augmented reality, robotic process automation and many other such disruptive technologies. Generative AI will lead this movement as the technology garnering the highest adoption and investment, with as many as 90% of GCCs planning to explore its use cases. Enterprises will successfully use their GCCs to build proof of concepts for new products and services, leveraging generative AI to achieve enhanced operational efficiency, elevated quality standards, curated customer experiences and diversification of products and services.

While there is a long road to implementation and the real picture will emerge over time, there seems to be a positive sentiment among GCC leaders in looking at generative AI implementation. From creating diverse datasets for training and validating machine learning models to analysing vast amounts of textual data to identify market trends and consumer sentiments, innovative GCCs will work towards delivering a “super-app” experience to the enterprise, one that is specifically tailored to its business goals, requirements and technological needs.