Puneet Chandok maps India’s digital future, gives a glimpse of Microsoft’s AI playbook for India

India is undergoing a rapid transformation in the digital and artificial intelligence sectors, fuelled by a thriving startup ecosystem, a tech-savvy population, and increasing public–private collaboration. From digital payments to generative AI, the country is not just adopting new technologies — it is shaping their future. At the centre of this shift, Microsoft India and South Asia President Puneet Chandok speaks to Storyboard18 where he shares why sees an opportunity for India to take a leadership role on the global AI stage. In this conversation, he explains why the world’s next big AI breakthroughs could well be made in India, and how Microsoft is helping drive that vision forward.

How do you see Microsoft's vision for AI shaping the future of work in India and South Asia, particularly in sectors like education, healthcare, and small business?

Microsoft’s vision for AI is deeply rooted in its commitment to transforming the future of work across India and South Asia, with a particular focus on sectors like education, healthcare, and small businesses. The company sees AI not merely as a technological advancement but as a strategic enabler of inclusive growth and societal progress. In education, Microsoft is revolutionising learning through initiatives like Shiksha Copilot, which helps rural teachers create localised lesson plans, and partnerships with platforms like upGrad to certify learners in generative AI. These efforts are complemented by large-scale skilling programs such as ADVANTA(I)GE India, which has already trained over 2.4 million individuals—65% of whom are women and 74% from Tier II and III cities—with a goal to reach 10 million by 2030.

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In healthcare, Microsoft is collaborating with institutions like Apollo Hospitals to co-develop AI-driven solutions for disease progression, genomics, and multimodal diagnostics. These partnerships aim to build the “hospital of the future,” leveraging AI to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. Similarly, in agriculture, Microsoft’s work with the Agriculture Development Trust in Baramati showcases how AI tools can improve crop yields, reduce resource usage, and make farming more sustainable. This project uses Azure Data Manager and FarmVibes.ai to deliver actionable insights to farmers in local languages, bridging the digital divide and empowering smallholders. For small businesses and startups, Microsoft is fostering innovation through its AI consortium and partnerships with communities like SaaSBoomi.

These initiatives aim to support over 5,000 startups, create 200,000 jobs, and attract significant venture capital, especially in Tier II cities. Microsoft’s AI strategy also includes deploying Small Language Models (SLMs) tailored to specific industries, enabling domain-specific solutions that enhance productivity and agility. The company’s investment of $3 billion over 2025–2026 in cloud and AI infrastructure underscores its commitment to making India an AI-first nation, with expanded data center capacity and sustainable technologies like zero-water cooling systems.

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Across classrooms to boardrooms and farms to finance, we are just beginning to see how AI, in the hands of people, can help shape a future that is more inclusive, productive, and uniquely local.

There’s often concern that AI is meant to replace human effort. How do you respond to the idea that AI will take away jobs rather than create opportunities?

AI will not be a replacement for human capability but a force multiplier. AI is here to remove drudgery. It is cutting down on processes and cutting through complexity. It frees us to focus on what truly matters: creativity, problem-solving and human judgment. Like every major shift, from the typewriter to the cloud, AI is redefining how we work. But with the AI opportunity comes responsibility. Responsibility to skill our workforce, and that’s why we’re committed to training 10 million Indians in AI skills by 2030. We will ensure that the workforce of tomorrow is not just ready but empowered to lead.

Microsoft has also signed a MoU with India AI, to collaborate on advancing AI and emerging technologies in India. We will establish an AI Center of Excellence, ‘AI Catalysts’, to promote rural AI innovation and support 100,000 AI innovators and developers through hackathons, community-building solutions, and an AI marketplace.

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Microsoft’s vision is clear: AI should be a co-pilot, not a competitor. In this vision, AI becomes a catalyst for inclusive growth, economic resilience, and a more skilled and empowered workforce.

Could you share some of the most exciting AI initiatives or partnerships Microsoft is currently pursuing in India?

Across India, we are seeing a surge in momentum as AI moves from pilots to production. At Microsoft, we are focused on helping our partners take the next step, whether that means co-developing AI solutions, deploying digital labour, or rethinking how work gets done.

Our customer success stories reflect a broader shift described in our 2025 Work Trend Index report. The report calls out the rise of the Frontier Firm. These are organizations that operate with agility, scale faster, and build hybrid teams of humans and AI agents. According to the report, 82 percent of leaders globally expect to use AI agents to expand workforce capacity within the next 12 to 18 months.

I can proudly say that Microsoft is becoming the home for building AI in India. India is uniquely positioned to lead in this transformation. We are working closely with government and industry to support the India AI mission and expand access to the tools, skills, and platforms needed to participate fully. Whether it is a startup building with a single agent or a large enterprise redesigning workflows, what excites us most is the clarity of purpose. AI is becoming a platform for inclusion, innovation, and real economic growth, with India leading the way to be an AI First nation with the scale of innovation and adoption.

With Microsoft Copilot and other generative AI tools gaining traction, how do you see Indian enterprises adopting these technologies at scale? What challenges do you see in this journey?

We’re seeing a clear shift across Indian enterprises. The conversation has moved from whether to adopt AI to how fast it can be scaled. There is strong intent, and in many cases, a focused roadmap. Copilot is already changing how teams operate, and AI agents are beginning to show real value across workflows. These agents are helping automate tasks, surface insights, and reduce the time between idea and execution.

Of course, the journey comes with challenges. One of the biggest is the skills gap. India has a deep base of tech talent, but AI-readiness is not evenly distributed. To help address this, Microsoft has committed to training 10 million people in AI skills by 2030, including 500,000 through the IndiaAI Mission.

The ambition is already there. With the right focus on capability building and cultural readiness, Indian enterprises are well positioned to lead in the next phase of AI adoption.

How is Microsoft ensuring its AI tools are used ethically and securely in India and South Asia as data privacy and responsible AI are big topics of debate?

Responsibility is built into every layer of how we design, develop, and deploy AI. We believe that earning trust is just as important as delivering innovation. Microsoft is built on trust. That is why we’ve embedded principles like fairness, transparency, safety, and accountability across our AI stack.

Our 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report outlines the standards, processes, and governance that guide our work. We follow a multidisciplinary review process to assess sensitive use cases, and our AI systems go through safety evaluations and alignment checks before deployment. These aren’t just internal policies; we are also sharing tools that help our customers evaluate and monitor their own AI implementations.

Unless given consent, we do not train on customer data. That commitment is consistent across all our platforms, including Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Copilot. This gives customers full control and clarity over how their data is handled.

In a region like India and South Asia, where digital growth is happening at immense scale, we recognise the need to balance opportunity with safeguards. We support the government’s focus on building responsible AI frameworks and are committed to helping organizations build AI solutions that are not only powerful but also aligned with local laws and ethical expectations.

How do you see your leadership role evolving as the company doubles down on AI? What is your personal approach to leading teams through this time of rapid technological change?

The way I see it, leadership today is less about having all the answers and more about creating the right environment to ask questions and be honest when you don’t know the answer. Personally, I spend a lot of time with our product and engineering teams, learning from the ground up. I use Copilot daily, whether I am drafting a keynote or reviewing partner feedback. It reminds me that AI is not here to replace us. It is here to amplify what makes us human.

You cannot prepare for the future by sitting on the sidelines. You must invest in your own learning, stay curious, and keep showing up. You may not be able to control the uncontrollable, but you can control your mindset, your effort, and the way you lead. As we double down on AI, this is not just a shift in strategy. It is a shift in mindset. One where we lead with curiosity, clarity, and compassion.

What I try to nurture across our teams is a culture that celebrates exploration, practices empathy, and values continuous learning. Because in a world where the pace of change is only accelerating, these are not just leadership traits. They are survival skills.

Microsoft is deeply invested in cloud and AI infrastructure in India. Can you talk about your plans to expand or deepen these investments?

India is one of our most strategic markets. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a $3 billion investment in cloud and AI infrastructure over two years. In the last 12 months Microsoft has been a copilot to making AI a reality in India, taking it from boardrooms to classrooms, commerce to communities, and finance to farmers. For example, Microsoft and Mahindra Group have joined forces to transform Automotive, Farm, and Financial Services with AI. The two companies plan to develop a range of AI projects that include agentic and multimodal scenarios for the Automotive division, chatbot solutions for the Farm & Tractors division, and multilingual capabilities for the Finance division. To accelerate this AI-driven transformation, Mahindra Group has established a dedicated ‘AI Division’. Mahindra’s ‘AI Division’ plans to develop and offer specialized pre-trained models on the Azure Marketplace, extending these solutions to a broader ecosystem.

Building on their 15-year relationship, Bajaj Finance Limited (BFL) and Microsoft entered a strategic partnership to enhance digital transformation aimed at delivering seamless and secure experiences for their customer base. The company is actively implementing AI use cases across workstreams, powered by Microsoft’s advanced AI technologies, with an expected annual cost saving of INR150 crore in FY26.

Announcements such as these, strengthens our belief in India’s potential and our resolve to equip the country with the resources and future-ready skills needed to excel in the global marketplace. We will continue to use AI to unlock possibilities for the next few decades.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about India’s technology landscape over the next 3–5 years? Where do you see the biggest opportunities for innovation?

India has the world’s youngest AI workforce and a startup ecosystem that adds 100 new companies every day. But what truly excites me is frugal innovation at scale. India is exporting models of public digital infrastructure such as UPI, Aadhaar, and DigiLocker that are redefining how economies grow. Combine that with AI and you get a recipe for leapfrogging, not just catching up. We’re going to see solutions built in India for the world.

We’ve already entered the era of AI agents. Thanks to groundbreaking advancements in reasoning and memory, AI models are now more capable and efficient, and we’re seeing how AI systems can help us all solve problems in new ways.

For example, India has over 18 million developers on GitHub, making it the fastest growing community on the platform. A lot of them are already using GitHub Copilot, and features like agent mode and code review are streamlining the way they code, check, deploy and troubleshoot. Globally, hundreds of thousands of customers are using Microsoft 365 Copilot to help research, brainstorm and develop solutions, and more than 230,000 organizations, including 90% of the Fortune 500, have already used Copilot Studio to build AI agents and automations.

In the next 3-5 years, we envision an India in which agents operate across individual, organizational, team and end-to-end business contexts. This emerging vision of the internet is an open agentic web, where AI agents make decisions and perform tasks on behalf of users or organizations.

On a personal note, how do you use technology in your own daily work? Any favourite tools or apps that help you stay productive?

I rely heavily on Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Copilot app. Whether it’s drafting a note, summarizing meetings, or catching up on unread docs, Copilot is my daily companion. It helps me move from information overload to streamlined insight.

AI is deeply woven into how I work. I use it every day to draft emails, prepare for meetings, do business research. My inbox is full of hundreds of messages, and Copilot helps me prioritise the urgent ones, and respond faster. It’s taken the drudgery out of my work and brought joy back, saving me at least 30 minutes a day.

What about at home—do you have any go-to devices or apps that make life easier or more enjoyable?

At home, I’m still that curious student at heart. I enjoy experimenting with our Surface devices, especially the new Copilot+ PC. It’s remarkable how much you can get done with on-device intelligence now, from organizing photos to planning a family trip, all with just a few prompts. I also use the Copilot app for more everyday tasks, like managing my reading list or summarizing articles I want to revisit later. It’s less about screen time and more about meaningful time.

When technology fades into the background and simply helps you live better, that’s when it’s doing its job.

When it comes to staying informed for work, what sort of content do you regularly consume? Newsletters, websites, YouTube channels?

My information diet is broad but intentional. I like to stay rooted in both the why and the what, so I follow a mix of academic journals, industry reports and AI research blogs. Microsoft’s WorkLab podcast is a regular listen. It gives a sharp view into how the world of work is evolving. I also enjoy podcasts like Lex Fridman, Dwarkesh Patel, and Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman. It’s a mix that keeps me close to the latest ideas shaping our field, while constantly challenging how I think.

For downtime or entertainment, what do you typically watch, read, or listen to? Any favourite shows, movies, or podcasts?

For downtime, I like to keep things simple and meaningful. I’ve really been enjoying Copilot Podcasts lately. It’s such a smart way to stay intellectually curious without adding to your cognitive load. You just type in a theme or topic you’re interested in, and Copilot curates or even creates a podcast around it. It’s like having a podcast made just for you, available whenever you want to listen. Whether I’m on a walk, commuting, or just winding down after a long day, it’s become a go-to companion. I can explore new ideas, learn something new, or just relax, all without having to scroll endlessly or make a decision about what to play next. It’s a small but powerful example of how AI can make life a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.

Are there any books that have had a particularly strong impact on you, either professionally or personally?

One book that’s stayed with me over the years is Meditations by Marcus Aurulius. Marcus goes deep and tries to answer questions like ‘why are we here?’ and ‘how should we live our lives?’. He talks about the 3 disciplines for living your life - Discipline of Perception (‘See things as they are’), Discipline of Action (‘To live as nature requires’) and Discipline of Will (‘Whatever is, is right’­). He says Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. You either stay rooted in the past, or you move with the times, ask better questions, and shape what’s next. Professionally, that mindset has helped me stay curious, stay uncomfortable, and stay open. Especially in a world where AI is rewriting the rules, it's never been more important to meet change not with fear, but with intent and imagination.

For emerging leaders in India’s tech and business landscape, are there any books, podcasts, or other resources you’d recommend they check out?

If you’re stepping into leadership in India’s tech or business world, The Nurturing Quotient is a fresh, practical guide on how to lead with purpose, empathy and agility. It’s not just about driving results, it’s about sustaining impact, sustaining people and sustaining yourself. Books like Radical Candor by Kim Scott and Principles by Ray Dalio further shape this mindset by offering frameworks on truth, transparency and the power of feedback. I believe we should treat our minds like a canvas; the more we feed them with colours, textures and concepts, the more vibrant and engaging it becomes. Be open to consuming ideas and learning from diverse sources such as leaders, books and podcasts, because just like what we eat shapes our body, what we feed our minds shapes our thoughts, decisions and leadership.

Finally, how do you maintain work-life balance in such a demanding role? Any routines or habits that help you switch off?

I find the term ‘work-life balance’ misleading, it implies a strict trade-off between work and life. Instead, I like the term ‘work-life harmony’ as it’s a flywheel, not a balance. If one part is broken, other will break too. The idea that you can all in on work and later reconcile with other aspects of life is seductive but not true. ‘Work’ and ‘Life’ are not scales to balance, and as leaders we need to bring both up together. For me this requires living consciously with a set of principles and following a set of practices that become non-negotiable rituals for life.

I am laser sharp focussed on impact at work, but I also remind myself that no amount of success at work is worth one failure with health or at home. And that's why I have a ritual of doing something for mind, body and soul every day. For my mind, I read, meditate and journal. For my body, I either get to tennis court, the gym or for a swim. And for my soul, I make time to be with my family, friends and my golden retriever Joey.