Inetum CEO: Don't delay AI adoption due to global uncertainties

Inetum CEO Jacques Pommeraud urges businesses to accelerate AI adoption despite global crises, warning that inaction is a greater risk. The French IT firm is launching 'Inetum India' as an AI-native operation to serve global clients.

Businesses need to move fast on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption despite global economic and geopolitical uncertainties, as delaying decisions could slow technology transformation efforts, said Jacques Pommeraud, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of France-based IT services company Inetum, told ANI on Wednesday.

"When you are a CEO you always see uncertainty and there's never a good timing. There's always somewhere a crisis, there's always some geopolitical event that happens or that will happen," Pommeraud told ANI on the sidelines of an MoU signing event involving Inetum and AIONOS.

"Look at the last few years, we had COVID, then we had Ukraine, then we had Middle East. There will always be something. So what I know for sure on the other hand is not moving and not acting, that's being too slow," he added.

Pommeraud said companies today are under pressure to implement AI and other emerging technologies quickly to meet growing customer demand.

Inetum Launches AI-Native Operations in India

"My responsibility is to make sure that our business goes fast, to help clients fast because they are asking us for new projects and to implement AI and many other technologies today. So we have to launch this today," he said.

Pommeraud said companies are increasingly looking for AI-native technology services rather than traditional outsourcing models.

Inetum announced the launch of "Inetum India," which Pommeraud described as an AI-native technology operation aimed at helping global customers implement enterprise software and AI-driven solutions from India.

"What's revolutionary for us and different is it's not just about ramping up a team in India, it's about ramping up a team that's AI native," he said.

He said the company's India operations will focus on integrating AI into client projects and enterprise software platforms such as SAP, Salesforce and ServiceNow.

Flexible AI Model Strategy

On Large Language Models (LLMs), Pommeraud said the company's strategy is designed to remain flexible and independent of any single AI model provider.

"The client wants something done, reduce their costs, sell more, do better marketing, they use AI projects for that. The LLM, what's under the hood, doesn't matter as much in fact," he said.

Commitment to Data Privacy and Security

Addressing concerns around data privacy and cybersecurity, Pommeraud said Europe's strict regulatory frameworks, including the AI Act, shape the company's approach to compliance and governance in AI-powered projects.

"If clients want data localization or traceability or auditability we supply that and in any case we adopt the highest standard possible on the market," he said.

India Hailed as Global AI Powerhouse

Pommeraud also praised India's technology ecosystem, saying the country remains one of the world's strongest technology talent hubs and an attractive destination for global AI investments.

During the same event, CP Gurnani said India is emerging as a major force in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem, with continued investments in infrastructure and application development boosting the country's attractiveness for international technology partnerships.

Speaking during the formal signing ceremony, Gurnani described Inetum as a European "powerhouse" with around 27,000 employees and a business size of nearly USD 2.5 billion. The partnership aims to provide global technology solutions and centres of excellence from Hyderabad, India.

"India by itself is now a large wave in the world of AI," he said, adding that AI-driven systems and agentic AI solutions are now "here to stay" and will improve productivity for both individuals and corporations. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)