A new study by Salesforce and IDC predicts that the rising adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) powered cloud solutions will generate a massive economic impact in India over the next four years. 

The IDC Salesforce Economic Impact Study forecasts that Salesforce and its ecosystem of customers and partners in India will create a net gain of 1.8 million new jobs and $88.6 billion in new business revenues from 2022 to 2028.

"In an AI-first world as businesses continue to transform, the economic impact on jobs and revenue is immense," said Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO & Chairperson of Salesforce India. "The study defines the footprint of Salesforce and the potential of AI to create jobs and drive business impact. India has shown immense growth and we are excited about the ecosystem we are creating to fuel the AI revolution."

The research highlights how AI is accelerating growth for the Salesforce economy globally, which is expected to create 11.6 million net new jobs and $2.02 trillion in new business revenues worldwide by 2028.

In India, 79% of companies already using AI deploy AI-powered CRM solutions, while 80% use enterprise AI software platforms. Key drivers include improving employee productivity (35%), customer experience (34%), and quality across products, production, supply chains and services (29%).

"AI-powered applications will multiply operational efficiency and customer experience benefits," said Bhattacharya.

The study also forecasts emerging AI job roles in India over the next year, including AI ethicists (62%), data architects (58%) and chief AI officers (52%) as organisations embrace AI.

However, challenges remain such as ensuring trustworthy and unbiased data (34%), lack of skilled AI employees (33%) and AI governance and risk management (30%).

Despite those hurdles, the Salesforce Economic Impact Study paints a picture of AI as an engine for widespread job creation and business growth across India in the coming years.