AI application experts in high demand as companies pursue efficiency, customer focus

India Inc is shifting focus from hiring AI builders to recruiting engineers who can apply AI to solve customer problems, improve delivery and redesign workflows. New-age roles such as forward-deployed engineers and agentic AI engineers are seeing record demand.

According to a CIEL HR analysis of over 200 companies in nine sectors conducted for ET, 90% of the firms are hiring for these roles to drive customer-facing solutions and internal efficiency. The survey covered IT services, IT products, startups, global capability centres, manufacturing, retail, ecommerce , financial services and logistics. Companies are deploying these skills both for customer solutions and internal use, a trend also confirmed by HR leaders at the RPG Group, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, EY and Savills India.

“Today, firms are looking for people who can make AI useful, professionals who can solve customer problems, improve delivery, redesign workflows and help businesses create value,” said CIEL HR chief executive Aditya Mishra.

Demand has increased 260% for agentic AI engineers and 130% for forward-deployed engineers in the past one year, according to CIEL.

A forward-deployed engineer is a customer-facing software developer, while an agentic AI engineer designs, builds and maintains autonomous systems which require minimal human oversight. Companies are using AI expertise to also build solutions for the customer end besides their own use.

The RPG Group said it is helping employees across functions and businesses to develop the skills needed to work effectively with new technologies and prepare for future roles through initiatives such as Ignite and E-Luminati. “These efforts have contributed to a 30% improvement in digital and AI capabilities across our workforce,” said a spokesperson at the plantations-to-information-technology conglomerate.

Arti Dua, partner and national talent leader at EY India, said the professional services firm invests in both hiring talent and capability building. It is also engaging with emerging institutions and specialist technology schools to hire young talent, she said.

According to Sudeep Dev, chief HR officer at Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, attracting AI talent to manufacturing, and specifically to an automobile organisation, is a challenge. “The need for AI engineers, specifically focused on automotive software development, data integration and telematics, is witnessing a sharp demand,” said Dev.

RPG also runs a programme, RPG Slingshot, to help CXOs understand how digital and AI can be applied in business, where they can create value and where caution needs to be exercised.

“The future of AI hiring will be defined by talent that can bridge technology with business impact while continuously adapting to an evolving digital landscape,” said Kaushik Chakraborty, chief people officer at real estate consultancy Savills India.

Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune continue to account for 61% of IT services demand, but companies are increasingly expanding delivery teams into Tier-2 cities to improve access to talent, optimise costs and build more resilient workforce models, according to the CIEL analysis. “Our analysis also points to a gradual redistribution of technology talent across India,” said Mishra.