The past decade will unquestionably be remembered for catapulting India as a digitally-forward nation. The landmark Digital India initiative led by the Govt of India, the success of Aadhaar, rise of UPI and use of technologies like AI for governance are some of the hallmarks of the past decade. An unintended consequence of COVID19 was the acceleration of digital adoption across the spectrum.

According to IDC, Indian enterprises are well on their way to AI adoption, accelerated by the government's digital India initiatives and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 60% of organisations have already begun their AI journey but only 8% of these companies can be called advanced in their AI approach. Enterprises must begin AI journey with an evaluation of their requirements, organizational vision, and readiness to adapt to newer technology to extract maximum value from technology adoption and gain competitive advantage.

While AI is more than half a century old, its real potential has only been seen in the past decade owing to many factors like rise in computational power, rise in data, growth in tech talent and a comprehensive ability by the industry to actually support the growth of the next era of technologies for social good. AI has proven to solve some of the most pressing and pertinent challenges we see around us, ranging from healthcare, governance, finance, education and climate change. And every other company is keen to get on to this bandwagon of change. But, is every company with AI ambitions, actually ready to embark on this journey?

A tool to measure their level of AI-readiness might help. NASSCOM K-Tech DS&AI along with eClerx today launched the AI Maturity Assessment Framework. This tool was conceptualized with inputs from AI experts from NASSCOM, eClerx, Robert Bosch, EXL and Boston Consulting Group. The development of the framework started last year as part of a research initiative with EY as a research partner.

Snehanshu Mitra, Head, NASSCOM K-Tech CoE DS&AI stated that organisations today were setting reasonable expectations with AI goals, while running risk-ratio scenarios and assessing long-term gains of a structured approach to a digital strategy. In this crucial time of transition, it is imperative to have a tool or measurement metric that can point CIOs and CXOs in the right direction, guide them on their AI strategies and provide iterative feedback on areas they need to improve in.

The launch of the AI Maturity Assessment Framework kicked off virtually with Sanjay Kukreja, Global Head of Technology, eClerx; Swati Jain, Vice President – Analytics, EXL and Sukant Patro, Senior Director, Dell Technologies. Nimish Gupta, Data and Analytics Manager, BCG and Manju Kiran, Project Manager, AI & ML, Bosch also played pivotal roles in conceptualizing this framework.

According to the framework, a company can be categorized as an AI Explorer, AI Enthusiast, AI Expert or AI Evangelist. The tool is a self-diagnosis framework based on eight crucial parameters that influence AI implementation and maturity. These are:

• Leadership Commitment
• Impact
• People & Culture
• Process
• Innovation Priorities
• Data
• Technology
• Ethical and Data Governance Controls

Swati Jain, Vice President – Analytics, EXL stated that there are multiple benefits to taking this assessment. It can provide a consultative overall assessment of an organisation’s AI readiness, while also allowing project managers to delve deeper into areas they are lacking competencies in. “Every company should leverage this framework to see where they stand and where they can go from here.”

Sanjay Kukreja, Global Head of Technology, eClerx added that this tool is the first step towards building a data-driven and standardized approach to understanding how AI can actually help a business enhance its revenue streams. With more participation, this model can become more nuanced and evolved.

While it is fashionable to embrace new technologies, it is critical that businesses understand the direction they’re headed in and how emerging technologies like AI can help them get there. With tools like this one, there is a measurable metric that is industry-standard, to show how their digital journey is panning out and where they should be looking for more growth opportunities.