Introduction: As artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to enterprise-wide adoption, the real question is no longer if companies should use AI—but how. From intelligent automation to customer experience and business model redesign, AI is reshaping how organizations operate, innovate, and grow. But with this power comes responsibility—around ethics, transparency, and human-centric design. In this exclusive conversation, Rishi Aurora, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting India & South Asia, shares how IBM is helping clients harness AI not just for efficiency, but for sustainable, Trustworthy transformation.
Q: How is IBM viewing the evolving role of AI in the consulting industry?
Rishi Aurora: We are witnessing a fundamental shift. A few years ago, discussions around automation or AI were rare. Today, almost every client conversation includes expectations around AI—how it will drive productivity and efficiency.
We believe we are entering a new era, led by AI, and IBM Consulting is positioned at the forefront of this transformation. What used to be technology transforming businesses has now evolved into AI transforming technology itself.
With our platform, IBM Consulting Advantage, consultants are empowered with pre-built AI accelerators, enabling up to 50% gains in productivity in pilot implementations. In India especially, AI is driving transformation across financial services, retail, and healthcare with remarkable speed.
Q: What are Indian CXOs experiencing as they implement AI, and can you provide examples from IBM’s work?
Rishi Aurora: Most CXOs have moved past experimentation and are focused on real, scalable programs. Our research shows that 76% of Indian enterprises report a return on investment from AI, and 93% believe it will play a role in multiple use cases across their organization.
For example, in BFSI, we’ve helped reduce KYC processing time by 40% using intelligent automation. In retail, AI-led demand forecasting has streamlined inventory cycles. In customer support, virtual agents are streamlining manual agent onboarding times by nearly 40%.
A notable example comes from the cement industry. During a merger and consolidation phase, a client was struggling with product deviations across plants. Using watsonx models, we reduced root cause analysis time from hours to just five minutes, dramatically improving production outcomes and operational clarity.
Q: What risks and challenges do organizations face when scaling AI? How does IBM address responsible AI implementation?
Rishi Aurora: The biggest challenge is trust. While adoption is rising, only 20% of enterprises feel confident moving AI into full production. Key barriers include a lack of skilled talent, fragmented data governance, and unclear accountability frameworks.
Our solution is rooted in the principles of Responsible AI, governed by the Five Pillars of Trust:
Using watsonx we provide comprehensive monitoring across the model lifecycle—capturing metadata, detecting drift, and integrating seamlessly with other platforms like Amazon SageMaker.
Q: How is this transformation impacting consultants themselves?
Rishi Aurora: AI is freeing up consultants from repetitive, manual work, allowing them to focus on high-impact, strategic activities. This marks the evolution of what we call the “Science of Consulting.”
By combining the digital workforce with human expertise and integrating processes with ecosystem partnerships, we are delivering outcomes that go beyond efficiency, improving customer experience, reducing turnaround time, and ultimately driving ROI.
This shift is about enhancing the role of consultants in enabling transformation at scale.
Q: Where do you see consulting headed next in the AI era?
Rishi Aurora: AI is no longer a value-add—it’s a non-negotiable foundation of every proposal, every project, and every outcome. Organizations that invest now in AI governance, workforce readiness, and scalable infrastructure will lead the next phase of enterprise growth.
We are entering a future where consulting is redefined by hybrid intelligence—a collaborative engine powered equally by human insight and machine intelligence. That’s the future we’re building at IBM Consulting.
AI-Powered Consulting Is No Longer Optional—It’s Inevitable
As industries accelerate toward digitization, AI is fast becoming the defining lens through which consulting services are delivered and measured. For IBM Consulting, the journey is not just about faster solutions—it’s about building trust, transparency, and long-term value in every engagement. With a strategic focus on Responsible AI and a growing library of real-world success stories, IBM is setting the standard for a new era of consulting, where insight is data-driven, delivery is intelligent, and transformation is continuous.