India’s marketers are increasingly leading AI transformation in enterprises, shows BCG survey

Indian chief marketing officers (CMOs) are among the most optimistic globally about the business impact of artificial intelligence (AI). Many are taking direct responsibility for AI spending and prioritising technologies they believe can drive revenue growth, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The conclusions are based on BCG’s annual survey of 300 CMOs worldwide, which looked at how marketing leaders are adopting AI and, increasingly, agentic AI systems.

The research indicated that India stands apart not only because of its confidence in AI’s commercial value, but also because marketing teams are playing a central role in shaping AI-led transformation across businesses.

More than half of Indian CMOs said they expect AI use cases to deliver between 5% and 9% additional revenue growth, the highest level recorded among the markets surveyed.

According to the study, 7% of Indian respondents said AI investments are owned by the marketing function, compared with a global average of 47%.

This points to a wider evolution in the role of marketing. While marketing has traditionally focused on brand development and communications, organisations are increasingly expecting marketing leaders to contribute directly to growth through technology adoption, data-driven decision-making, and improved customer experiences.

The survey found that 43% of Indian CMOs believe expectations from chief executives have risen significantly over the past two years. More than one in four said accelerating AI and digital transformation has become their CEO’s foremost priority.

Mark Abraham, Global Leader, Marketing, Sales and Pricing Practice, BCG, and a co-author of the report, said, “Investment must now move beyond individual AI tools, and towards fully connected agentic operating systems built on strong data foundations, brand intelligence layers, multi-agent orchestration, and the right talent. If established brands don't build this first, new agentic-native attacker brands will do so.”

On the flip side, the report highlighted a disconnect between enthusiasm and large-scale implementation. While 96% of CMOs globally said AI is driving end-to-end transformation within marketing, fewer than one-third have used AI agents to transform their function at scale. Only 8% are running campaigns in which multiple AI agents operate autonomously.

India is also showing stronger interest in agentic commerce, an emerging model in which AI agents assist consumers with product discovery, comparison, and purchasing decisions. Nearly three-quarters of Indian CMOs placed agentic commerce among their three most important strategic priorities, exceeding the global average.

Parul Bajaj, India Leader, Marketing, Sales and Pricing Practice, BCG, and co-author of the report, said, “There is a genuine shift underway in how marketing functions in India are leading AI transformation. Indian CMOs are projecting the highest AI-driven growth of any market we surveyed, directly owning the AI investment agenda, and placing focused bets on agentic commerce and personalisation.”

Bajaj noted that India’s approach differs from many other markets because of the combination of leadership support, investment ownership, and talent development.

The findings also suggested growing confidence in the availability of AI talent in India. Just 13% of Indian CMOs identified AI skills shortages as a severe risk, compared with 22% globally. Many companies are already investing in employee training, recruiting AI-focused professionals, and embedding AI capabilities into hiring requirements.