The AI Imperative
Large enterprises are at a pivotal juncture, necessitating a fundamental re-evaluation of their existing business processes. To thrive in an increasingly
AI-driven environment, these organizations must embark on a journey of 'unraveling' and 'rewiring' their operations to become truly AI-ready. This strategic imperative was highlighted at The Hindu Tech Summit 2026, where Virtusa COO Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan emphasized the necessity of this transformation. He articulated that the future operating model will likely lean heavily towards AI agents, suggesting a potential shift towards a ratio of 80% agents and 20% humans in many operational capacities. This perspective underscores the need for businesses to move beyond incremental changes and adopt a proactive, foundational approach to AI integration, ensuring their infrastructure and workflows are inherently designed to leverage artificial intelligence capabilities effectively.
Navigating the Transition
The current phase represents a significant transition period, marked by uncertainty and rapid advancements in AI. As technologies like the Anthropic plug-in emerge at an unprecedented pace, organizations are grappling with how to adapt and evolve. This dynamic environment means that even established companies must remain agile and open to innovation. While smaller businesses might have the advantage of building new products with novel models from the ground up, larger enterprises face the complex task of reconfiguring their existing frameworks. The challenge lies in discerning what needs to be preserved, what needs to be adapted, and what can be entirely reinvented to align with an AI-first ethos. The focus is on identifying services that can be optimized or replaced by AI-driven solutions, leveraging the innovative spirit of portfolio companies to accelerate this learning and adaptation process.
Skills for the Future
Amidst these sweeping changes, the role of human developers and the skills required for them are undergoing a profound redefinition. While the prospect of AI agents handling a majority of tasks might seem daunting, there is a clear and persistent need for human ingenuity and foundational engineering principles. Young talent entering the field should not be discouraged, but rather encouraged to build robust expertise in core engineering. The ability to code in various languages like Java or Python is valuable, but the true differentiator will be the capacity to solve complex problems using AI. The analogy of asking for hot ice cream at a coffee shop perfectly illustrates the disconnect when current demands are not met by AI-first solutions. Therefore, a strong emphasis must be placed on cultivating skills that complement AI, ensuring that human expertise remains indispensable in an increasingly automated world.
