Latest news with #GlobalGenAIReport
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Future proofing APAC: Building the skills for AI powered economy
By John Lombard Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant vision—it is now the operational backbone of industries across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. From predictive analytics in manufacturing to generative AI (GenAI) in customer service, AI adoption is reshaping economic structures. Yet, adoption is far from uniform. Advanced economies such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and China are deploying AI at scale, while others are still building foundational infrastructure and digital readiness. One of the most pressing challenges is not technological capability but human capability. Without a skilled workforce, AI adoption risks creating a gap between potential and performance—a high-speed engine without the tracks to run on. The skills gap in an accelerating AI landscape According to NTT DATA's recent Global GenAI Report, nearly 70% of organizations view AI as a game changer, and almost two-thirds plan to significantly invest in GenAI over the next two years. But investment alone is insufficient. The talent pool trained to design, deploy, and govern AI systems is lagging behind. In many organizations, innovation in AI is outpacing workforce readiness and governance frameworks. Employees often feel underprepared—not due to resistance, but because training, role-specific upskilling, and AI literacy have not kept pace with technological change. Cultural diversity, language barriers, and varied education systems across APAC further complicate the creation of a region-wide skilled AI workforce. To bridge this divide, enterprises need structured AI and GenAI talent development frameworks that are scalable, measurable, and adaptable to evolving technologies. Such frameworks should: • Provide foundational AI literacy for all employees, regardless of role. • Offer role-based practical training for professionals in technical and non-technical functions. • Develop certified specialists with deep domain expertise in AI deployment. • Cultivate strategic leaders capable of driving AI innovation and governance at an enterprise scale. This tiered approach allows organizations to embed AI capabilities at every operational layer—from frontline staff to the C-suite. Importantly, in-house trainers and industry-specific learning modules can make training more relevant and impactful. In the enterprise technology context, AI skills cannot be siloed. They need to intersect with other capabilities such as: • Cybersecurity – safeguarding AI models and data pipelines from vulnerabilities. • Data Science & Machine Learning – building and refining predictive and generative models. • Cloud Computing – enabling scalable AI deployments across geographies. • Ethical AI Governance – ensuring accuracy, bias mitigation, and regulatory compliance. These competencies will be essential as AI becomes integrated into everything from supply chain systems to customer engagement platforms. Responsible AI adoption Expanding AI use also means expanding accountability. Governance models must address risks such as bias in outputs, misinformation, intellectual property concerns, and data leakage. Organizations should invest in transparent governance frameworks, clear audit trails, and training that empowers employees to identify and mitigate AI risks. Responsible AI adoption is not just about compliance—it is about building trust with employees, customers, and regulators. In a region as diverse as APAC, this trust will be a competitive differentiator. The leadership imperative The role of leadership in AI transformation extends beyond technology investment. Executives must actively participate in upskilling, signal commitment to continuous learning, and ensure inclusivity in training initiatives. By aligning AI innovation agendas with workforce development strategies, leaders can create sustainable adoption rather than short-term experimentation. Ultimately, the future of APAC's AI economy will depend on how effectively the region matches technological advances with human capabilities. Leaders who act today—investing in both AI systems and the people who operate them—will define the competitive, ethical, and sustainable AI landscape of tomorrow. The author is CEO, APAC, NTT DATA. The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCIO does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCIO shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.
Tahawul Tech
25-03-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
NTT DATA launches agentic AI services for hyperscaler AI technologies
NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, recently announced the launch of its Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies. This transformative suite of services helps organisations easily adopt, build, manage and scale AI-powered agents to improve efficiencies, unlock innovation and enhance employee and customer experiences, maximising returns on AI investments. This unique suite of services addresses the growing demand for agentic AI solutions that offer personalized experiences. This news builds on NTT DATA's recently announced Smart AI Agent™, enabling enterprises to integrate AI-driven automation across business functions. Unlike traditional automation, Agentic AI understands user needs, engages naturally and handles complex interactions, empowering organisations to confidently scale their AI capabilities while ensuring optimisation and success. NTT DATA's Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies offers the industry's most comprehensive suite of services for AI. These services support every stage of an organisation's agentic AI journey with cloud providers – from advisory and building AI agents to implementation, connectivity and ongoing managed services. Applicable across all industries including manufacturing, banking and healthcare, these services help organisations maximise AI investments and responsibly innovate while ensuring ongoing optimisation and success. Available in over 20 languages across every major market, NTT DATA ensures seamless global adoption. By integrating its agentic AI with generative AI, including large and small language models, these AI agents can perform tasks more rapidly, accurately and efficiently with fewer errors. NTT DATA also helps to ensure clients that once AI agents are deployed, they remain secure, up-to-date and continuously improved. By connecting AI agents to hyperscaler data centres, NTT DATA helps to enable more personalised, natural interactions, making AI-driven services more intuitive and effective. Meeting the demand for scalable AI solutions Enterprise AI investments are accelerating. According to Gartner®, 'by 2028, the market for artificial intelligence services will reach $609 billion with a five-year annual growth rate of 21.4% in constant U.S. dollars'. Additionally Gartner also states that 'By 2028, '33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024, enabling 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously'. NTT DATA's own Global GenAI Report reflects this trend, showing organizations are increasingly prioritizing agentic AI for back-office and workflow optimisation in 2025. The report also found that 96% of CIOs and CTOs prefer cloud-based solution methods. 'Agentic AI will revolutionise business operations and NTT DATA is at the forefront of this transformation', said Charlie Li, Global Head of Cloud & Security, NTT DATA, Inc. 'As the first global provider to offer comprehensive agentic AI services with a focus on AI agent management, we are empowering organisations to invest in AI agents with confidence– unlocking unprecedented efficiency and innovation while enhancing the experiences they provide to their employees and customers'. Flexible agentic AI services NTT DATA's Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies are available in flexible packages, allowing organisations to scale AI adoption with industry leading support that can easily align to clients' budgets, resources and timeframes. Advisory services : Guidance on adopting and optimizing agentic AI solutions, including planning, design, GenAI, business process optimisation and automation tailored to specific business needs. : Guidance on adopting and optimizing agentic AI solutions, including planning, design, GenAI, business process optimisation and automation tailored to specific business needs. Implementation services : AI agent configuration, integration and deployment focused on security, compliance and performance optimisation with complementary change management options. : AI agent configuration, integration and deployment focused on security, compliance and performance optimisation with complementary change management options. Ongoing AI management services : Continuous monitoring, troubleshooting, data governance and detailed reporting and analytics. : Continuous monitoring, troubleshooting, data governance and detailed reporting and analytics. Connectivity: Seamless connectivity across all channels using NTT DATA's cloud-native global connectivity services for voice, chat and mobile integration, ensuring consistent monitoring and compliance with local regulations. Advanced expertise to accelerate innovation with hyperscalers NTT DATA is uniquely positioned to deliver innovative and comprehensive capabilities and services as a systems integrator, managed services provider and carrier. This allows for faster and more efficient deployment of AI agents anchored in our commitment to responsible AI. NTT DATA is launching its Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies with an initial focus on Microsoft platforms. As the leading Microsoft Cloud Voice partner and a top provider of Copilot for Microsoft 365, NTT DATA is well-positioned to help enterprises integrate AI agents into their daily operations. By leveraging cutting-edge tools such as Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio, NTT DATA agents are equipped to deliver even more innovative and effective solutions to clients. 'AI-powered agents are transforming how businesses operate, and we are excited to collaborate with NTT DATA to help organisations embrace this new era of AI-powered innovation', said Maziar Zolghadr, General Manager Global Communications Partners, Microsoft. 'Combining Microsoft's AI technologies with NTT DATA's expertise in AI agent building, deployment and management we are empowering enterprises to create more intelligent experiences for their employees and clients'. Real-world applications across industries NTT DATA's Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies offer solutions across functions and use cases, providing easy-to-implement solutions such as: Customer service : Automating query resolution and enabling self-service to reduce wait times. : Automating query resolution and enabling self-service to reduce wait times. Billing and scheduling: Streamlining repetitive tasks to save time and improve operational efficiency. Streamlining repetitive tasks to save time and improve operational efficiency. Training and onboarding: Accelerating employee onboarding and skills development. Accelerating employee onboarding and skills development. Logistics and risk management : Enhancing processes like fraud protection and data analysis for insight-driven decisions. : Enhancing processes like fraud protection and data analysis for insight-driven decisions. HR and sales assistants : Offering voice, chat and messaging options for improved communication and task management. : Offering voice, chat and messaging options for improved communication and task management. Workflow automation: Smart assistants optimize task routing process management. Future growth and expansion With today's launch, NTT DATA builds on its established GenAI capabilities, further strengthening its position as a leader in AI-driven enterprise solutions. NTT DATA's Agentic AI Services for Hyperscaler AI Technologies are designed to work with a wide range of AI platforms and will continue to expand to support new technologies. These services are integral to NTT DATA's broader managed services portfolio across cloud, networking and cybersecurity. NTT DATA Smart AI Agent offers a comprehensive end-to-end and full-stack solution that includes AI agents consulting, platforms, third-party integrations and managed services to transform business processes across industries. By streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency, Smart AI AgentTM empower businesses to rapidly evaluate and deploy generative AI applications, optimise workflows and drive greater productivity. Image Credit: NTT Data
