Tech trends: What to expect in the year ahead

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IS THAT MANY PEOPLE IN INDIA ARE TRYING AI TOOLS AT HOME BEFORE USING THEM AT WORK

- Charles Assisi

Technology can sometimes feel like magic—especially for those who aren't neck-deep in gizmos and gadgets. Yet, whether we realize it or not, huge changes are brewing in India's tech space. They promise to touch everyday life in ways as simple as paying for groceries and as complex as running entire factories.

A key insight comes from a recent conversation with D Shiva Kumar, operating partner at Advent International, and Ramesh Srinivasan of McKinsey. "Employees today are using AI on themselves before they use AI at work. That's a very good thing because they have firsthand knowledge. With no other technology has this happened. We didn't learn Excel on our own before we went to a company Excel sheet," said D Shiva Kumar.

This observation highlights a new trend: people are experimenting with AI in personal ways—such as checking how AI might draft an email—before ever deploying it in corporate environments. It's a fundamental shift that sets the tone for how technology adoption might unfold in the coming years.

That said, here are the big things to expect next year.

1. FinTech and Health care