In this episode of Subtext by Zerodha, Pranav sits down with Arpit Tandon, Director of AI Strategy at CGI, to understand what AI really means for the Indian IT industry.
We cover:
- How AI is changing product management, why companies should think in terms of workflows instead of just software, the importance of domain knowledge, and why understanding a client's business may become more valuable than ever.
- It also covers AI spending, sales, outcome-based pricing, M&A, partnerships, access to frontier AI models, Chinese open-source models, and what AI means for the future of junior and mid-level talent in Indian IT.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
02:00 – The future of product management
05:00 – Why AI workflows and domain knowledge matter
17:00 – Can domain expertise become a competitive advantage?
25:00 – Is IT services becoming more like consulting?
35:00 – How AI is changing sales and competition
43:00 – The shift towards outcome-based pricing
50:00 – AI, geopolitics and access to different models
59:00 – What frontier AI access means for India
01:01:00 – How AI will change Indian IT and its workforce
01:03:00 – The skills that will matter in the AI era
01:07:00 – The future of the middle layer in Indian IT