FE Connect
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a long-term vision. It has become a strong organisational driver, fundamentally transforming business operations across sectors. As AI increasingly embeds into organisations’ DNAs, its impact can be most significantly felt in operations, supply chain management, and human resources (HR), where it is catalysing unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation.
AI as an operational and supply chain strategic asset
Leaders in business across industries are adopting AI at different levels, yet all are of one viewpoint: AI is a strategic asset that provides quantifiable business value. This was corroborated by operations, supply chain management, and human resources leaders in an insightful session hosted by Financial Express in association with IBM.
As Jyotsna Korgaonkar, Union Asset Management Head of Operations, says, while emphasising this transition, “AI can be applied to many workflows that can be automated. We deal with a large amount of customer data, and with these tools, we can process that information well. It helps us process sales and client inquiries more effectively, which results in better customer satisfaction and eventually revenue growth. AI not only saves money but also helps in growing our investors’ wealth.”
This feeling is part of a wider industry trend—AI systems are no longer mere tools, but increasingly collaborative co-pilots, actively influencing business results.
For instance, at JSW Steel, COO Gajraj Singh Rathore is spearheading a shift from conventional machine learning to generative AI, with an emphasis on using digital twins to drive efficiency in large-scale operations.
“We are implementing a 5 million ton production capacity in which digital twins have a very important part in enhancing reliability, minimising downtime, optimising manpower, and making operations efficient,” he says.
On the other hand, Tata Play Head of Procurement Jaswinder Saini expounds on the firm’s cutting-edge AI journey, now encompassing Agentic AI—AI that operates independently, learns from real-time information, and makes decisions independently.
“Agentic AI is fast converging with human behaviour and can act and respond like a human being. That makes it extremely relevant for actual use in the real world and will speed up adoption. It will enable us to automate mundane tasks, allowing human resources to focus on more strategic activities. We are doing a proof of concept (PoC) with Agentic AI,” Saini reveals.
Also read: AI can improve customer experience and services, but not at the cost of accuracy
HR transformed end-to-end: From hiring to retiring
AI’s disruptive powers go beyond the functions of operations and supply chain. The technology has the potential to redefine the HR function end-to-end, from recruitment to retirement. AI-powered chatbots have the capability to address routine queries, schedule interviews, and even conduct basic assessments. All this saves precious time for HR professionals who can now focus on the more strategic initiatives.
Meena Sharma, Chief People Officer at Suryoday Small Finance Bank, emphasises how platforms powered by AI can analyse thousands of resumes at a time. By leveraging natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, such platforms can find out patterns and predict job-fit scores. “Going completely automated in screening the right talent becomes easy with AI,” she says.
Sunder Natarajan, CHRO at IndiaFirstLife, adds that AI can add value even prior to the onboarding process by supporting functions such as KYC, applicant tracking and employee engagement.
“AI can make a big difference in the employee lifecycle prior to onboarding occurring. It can make the employee work for the organisation. Whether it is employee engagement, KYC, ATS—you name it, and AI is there. Furthermore, since organisations have a lot of data, there are various dots which need to be connected and there AI can gain significantly,” he states.
Natarajan believes AI can also help overcome the challenge of human bias in the hiring process, thereby enabling organisations to receive the best return from their recruitment efforts.
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IBM’s AI-first approach: Real-world impact
The session also included a case study from IBM, where Sameer Vaishampayan, Technical Leader, Data and AI at IBM and Saloni Joshi, Partner Technical Specialist, Data & AI at IBM, spoke about how the company transformed its procurement process by going AI-first, data-led. The outcomes were far-reaching as the company witnessed a 20% year-over-year decrease in labour expense and a $2 billion reduction in vendor spend.
IBM’s transformation revolved around the three core initiatives. These included consolidating over 40 systems into a single business data view to remove complexity; simplifying processes by eliminating redundant handoffs and supporting self-service; and automating manual processes to reduce inefficiencies.
This journey transpired in phases—standardizing operations, embedding automation in source-to-pay processes, and developing strong data and AI foundations to eradicate reporting silos.
The road ahead
As the pace of AI adoption increases, its contribution is evolving from complementary technology to a primary force for business reinvention. From optimising supply chains, transforming HR, to automating procurement, AI is enabling organisations to think smarter, move faster, and act strategically like never before.