New Delhi, February 19 India's technology sector must transition from growth driven by scale to a model focused on AI, driven by intelligence and intellectual property (IP), said Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCL Technologies, on Thursday.
"India must move from being a nation led by technology services to a nation led by IP; services scale with effort. IP scales infinitely," she said while speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026.
She said that the future belongs not to those who merely deploy technology, but to those who build, own, and shape platforms, models, and products.
"In the AI economy, value accrues to those who build and own platforms, models, and products, not just those who deploy them. This shift is not only economic, it is transformative," she added.
Malhotra, who consistently features on the Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women list, said that AI has a dual impact – it reduces costs through automation while expanding new markets and opportunities.
For India to lead in the AI economy, three strategic shifts are essential: from scale to IP creation, from adopting to building, and from fragmented efforts to a national AI infrastructure that democratizes compute and innovation, she added.
"Compute can unlock innovation across startups, universities, enterprises, and institutions. When compute is accessible, innovation decentralizes. When innovation decentralizes, IP multiplies. This is how an IP nation is built – not by one champion, but by an ecosystem. Ambition without purpose is incomplete," she said.
According to her, artificial intelligence is not just a technological shift but a leadership moment. Every revolution raises a human question and AI asks what should be delegated, forcing us to redefine what is uniquely human.
As AI takes over writing, calculating, diagnosing, and predicting, leadership must move beyond knowing to deciding. Malhotra said that HCL Tech is repositioning itself from a people-centric delivery model to an integrated system of software, intelligent agents, and human expertise.
This transformation reflects a broader national ambition -- to evolve from a services-led nation to an IP-led nation.
"We are evolving from a people-centric delivery model to an integrated system of software products, intelligent agents, and human expertise, delivering outcomes at scale. This is more than just a business shift. It reflects a broader national ambition to build intellectual property that creates enduring, compounding value," the chairperson said.
AI must be governed responsibly, as speed without control and scale without trust are unsustainable, she said.
Elaborating, she cited an example from the T20 cricket match, saying like a power hitter in the shorter format of the game, AI is changing the game, but success depends on how intelligently we set the field.
"AI will define this decade, but what the world will remember for centuries is the leadership who shaped it responsibly, wisely, and with clarity," she added.