2 weeks ago
Enterprises Move Beyond Digital Transformation to AI-First Operations
Computers and digital tools once made companies special, because not everyone had them.
Today, almost all big companies have them, so they are no longer special.
An expert named Sridhar Mantha wrote an article about the next big change.
He says companies should become 'AI-first,' which means letting smart computer programs called AI help with decisions and work.
Many companies already use some AI — 88% of them use it in at least one part of their business.
But only about one in three companies really use AI across everything they do.
AI can help factories avoid breaking down and help banks check risks much faster than before.
Some companies are using AI to invent new products, and one in four are testing AI that can do jobs with many steps on its own.
Experts believe AI could add trillions of dollars to the world's economy every year.
Companies that learn to use AI deeply, instead of just pretending to, will likely become the new leaders.
Digital transformation is now table stakes, and the competitive shift is toward AI-first enterprises that embed intelligence into processes, decisions and strategy.
88% of companies use AI in at least one business function, but only about one-third have scaled it across the enterprise, according to McKinsey.
Deloitte's State of AI in Enterprise 2026 report says one-third of companies are building new products or changing core business processes with AI.
One in four organizations are already running pilots of agentic AI systems that can plan and execute multi-step tasks.
The McKinsey Global Institute projects AI will add $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy.
- Who
- Enterprises and global IT services firms, as analyzed by author Sridhar Mantha, CEO of Generative AI Business Services at Happiest Minds Technologies.
- What
- A shift from digital transformation — now considered table stakes — to AI-first enterprises that build intelligence into processes, decisions and strategy from the start.
- Where
- Global — the article discusses enterprises and the worldwide economy without naming a specific location.
- When
- Not specified in the article; the shift is described as happening now, with the Deloitte report referenced as the 'State of AI in Enterprise 2026.'
- Why
- Because digital transformation no longer provides competitive advantage, while AI embedded in operations is expected to speed decisions, enable new products and contribute $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy.
Key facts
- Author
- Sridhar Mantha, CEO of Generative AI Business Services (GBS) at Happiest Minds Technologies
- Publication
- Financial Express (opinion piece)
- Companies using AI in at least one business function
- 88%
- Companies that scaled AI across the enterprise
- About one-third (McKinsey)
- Companies building new products or changing core processes with AI
- One-third (Deloitte State of AI in Enterprise 2026)
- Organizations piloting agentic AI
- One in four
- Enterprise AI deployments underpinned by cloud infrastructure
- More than 65% (IDC and Gartner)
- Projected annual AI contribution to the global economy
- $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion (McKinsey Global Institute)











