Mahindra says AI must boost profits, not just productivity

The Mahindra Group

said it will judge the success of its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy by its impact on revenue, costs and customer experience, rather than treating AI as a standalone technology initiative, as it executes 15 large-scale AI transformation projects across its businesses.

Speaking during the company's earnings press conference, the management said AI must ultimately translate into higher revenue, lower costs and a better customer experience, with the company tracking outcomes across quality, customer experience, reach and operational efficiency.

The company said its AI strategy is built on three pillars—deploying AI, transforming business processes and operations, and inventing AI-native models—and is aimed at making Mahindra a technology leader across the industries in which it operates.

Mahindra also said it has deployed more than 50 forward deployment engineers to support AI initiatives across its businesses and is setting up governance councils to oversee AI transformation programmes and ensure disciplined execution.

The management said employee adoption will be the biggest determinant of the strategy's success, with process owners expected to play a critical role in embedding AI into day-to-day operations.

As an example of AI adoption, the company said workers at its truck manufacturing plant are already using AI tools to improve quality and speed on the shop floor.

Overall, Mahindra said its AI roadmap is focused on delivering measurable business outcomes by embedding the technology across multiple functions within the group, rather than pursuing AI for its own sake.