India positioned to lead global agentic AI adoption, says Ericsson CTO

India has the potential to outpace other nations in embracing agentic artificial intelligence and making the technology accessible across sectors, according to Erik Ekkuden, Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson. The executive's assessment positions India as a key player in the next phase of AI adoption, building on the country's existing strengths in software services and technology talent. Agentic AI refers to autonomous systems capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human intervention, representing a significant evolution from current large language models. The technology is expected to reshape industries ranging from manufacturing and logistics to customer service and enterprise operations. However, realising India's leadership potential in this space will require substantial investment in developing a comprehensive supply chain ecosystem, Ekkuden noted. This includes establishing manufacturing capabilities, semiconductor sourcing, and infrastructure to support the deployment of agentic AI systems across enterprises. Industry observers say India's competitive advantages—including a large pool of AI engineers, growing venture capital investment, and an expanding digital economy—position the country well to overcome these challenges and capture opportunities in the emerging agentic AI market.