TCS COO said AI is driving efficiency at project level. How are firms measuring efficiency in AI-led coding tasks while accounting for the entire process? And is this shift starting to impact client costs yet?If efficiency gains are limited to IT projects alone, the overall benefit remains constrained. Even if IT projects deliver a 20-30% improvement in coding efficiency, that might only result in a 5-10% gain in overall value from conceptualisation to go-live. That’s why end-to-end articulation and value-creation across all phases are essential to achieving meaningful productivity gains and measurable benefits leading to improved customer satisfaction and stronger sales performance.Clients are becoming aware of AI-driven productivity gains. Is this leading to commercial models with built-in productivity gains even before they are requested?If AI-led productivity is a good cannibaliser, we would happily embrace it because it’s important to challenge ourselves in seeking productivity gains. It’s also important to transparently discuss with customers what gains can be passed on, as it requires some investment from our side. This is happening in almost all major engagements. We proactively look for ways to deploy AI and enhance productivity. Clients are demanding certain productivity benefits to be achieved and passed on to them. We have discussions with customers about passing on productivity gains. It’s a natural process.Employees say it’s harder to secure projects matching their skills. Earlier, they usually found assignments within a month. There are reports that TCS has started withholding salaries for employees benched for extended periods.It’s always been expected that associates take responsibility for their careers. While HR supports project placement, we also expect associates to proactively seek new assignments after completing existing ones. What you’re seeing now is simply a more structured version of what’s long been in practice. We aim to minimise bench time. Second, we invest heavily in upskilling. Once we’ve made that investment, we work to ensure associates are deployed. While preferences are considered, projects are driven by client needs, not personal choice. We deploy based on training, demand, and skill alignment. If gaps exist, we work to close them before deployment.Is there some slackness in the pyramid? Especially now that some resources are freed up after the BSNL ramp-down?There’s no specific slackness. While the work is labour-intensive, it doesn’t directly involve our senior associates. Much of it was handled by third-party resources, not our own.
