9 in 10 internet users in India are already using AI in some form or the other: Kantar

India is poised for an AI (artificial intelligence) revolution, with inexpensive internet access and widespread smartphone adaption. According to a recent Kantar ICUBE data report, AI is already touching the lives of 9 in 10 internet users in India.

This access according to Kantar, is powered by the enormous computing capabilities on people’s phones, connectivity, and cloud infrastructure.

The current AI user base of the country stands at 724 million and poised to grow YoY at 6 percent. These are users who have used any of the AI features like image filters, personalised recommendations, smart devices, etc till now.     Adoption of AI among users is currently high for popular features while enhanced AI functionalities are catching up.

According to Kantar’s findings, 88 percent consumers used AI based algorithms which analysed their preferences, behaviours, and interests to create personalised recommendations for tailored experiences. This segment grew at 6 percent YoY in 2023.

88 percent consumer also automated various tasks and streamlined routines to enhance efficiency and productivity in their daily lives using AI. This segment grew at 6 percent YoY.

86 percent used ‘image enhancement filters’ so that the resulting image is improved in terms of sharpness, contrast, brightness or with other features. This segment grew at 5 percent YoY in the year gone by.

At 21 percent, ‘smart home automation’ is a smaller segment but growing at 25 percent YoY. Lastly, 15 percent consumers enhanced their ‘user experience through virtual assistants’ across platforms, in 2023. This segment is the fastest growing at 27 percent YoY.

  As per Kantar reports, while AI technologies are touching most internet users of India today, their usage is expectedly higher among the youth (19–24-year-olds) at 92 percent and interestingly, also at a high 81 percent for the older (45+ year old) age bracket.     “AI is inevitable. Historically, technology adoption has always been a dominant determinant of a brand’s trajectory. We at Kantar feel that it is important to help marketers humanize AI to innovate successfully, help activate AI to predict future performance, maximize ROI and use AI strategies to build competitive advantage for sustainable growth,” said Soumya Mohanty, Managing Director and Chief Client Officer- South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar.

“We have created a range of offerings which will benefit marketers and consumers by extension. LINK AI is one such solution, which helps evaluate creative effectiveness at scale and has helped uncover new insights into creating better video ads on YouTube which has a proven track record of growth, following Google’s ABCD framework. Similarly, we have introduced best in class offerings like LIFT ROI, Trend AI and NeedScope AI for various stages of brand growth as well,” Mohanty added.     Puneet Avasthi, Senior Executive Director, South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar added “Generative AI is set to become a $1.3T market by 2034 with a possible 42 percent CAGR growth over the next 10 years. We are sitting at a point of inflection where the next few years will enable a competitive edge between businesses who adopt early and others. As the usage of AI grows rapidly, it is critical for marketers to not use AI in isolation and as a gimmicky fad, but weave in consumer behavioural data into it to remove biases, continue to focus on building equity and not just to run activations.”