Indian consumers are emerging as the most enthusiastic adopters of agentic artificial intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region, with 60% expressing interest in creating a personal AI agent, according to Adobe's 2026 AI and Digital Trends Report.
The report highlights a widening gap between consumer expectations and business preparedness, as Indians increasingly embrace AI-driven interactions for shopping, customer service and everyday digital tasks.
Around 55% of consumers said they would be willing to interact with a brand's AI agent, while 58% were comfortable with agent-to-agent interactions. Another 61% said they would allow an AI agent to engage with a company's human representative on their behalf.
Adobe said India recorded the strongest consumer appetite for agentic AI in Asia-Pacific, underlining the country's growing comfort with AI-enabled services.
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AI is already playing a larger role in purchase decisions. About 65% of Indian consumers use AI for personalised product recommendations, while 60% rely on AI-powered customer support. Nearly 62% said they would be open to making purchases through a virtual AI concierge.
However, the report found that businesses and consumers often view AI success differently. While consumers prioritise trust, transparency and effective problem-solving, companies continue to focus on operational efficiency and cost savings.
India also posted the highest executive confidence levels in adopting emerging technologies, with 26% of business leaders saying they were highly confident about integrating new technologies into their operations.
Trust remains a key factor in driving AI adoption. According to the report, 21% of consumers said clear disclosure when interacting with AI systems was the most important trust-building measure, while 17% wanted the option to switch to a human representative at any stage.
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For businesses, data integration and quality issues remain the biggest hurdle, cited by 69% of respondents. Talent shortages (65%), uncertainty around return on investment (62%) and technology infrastructure constraints (48%) were also identified as major challenges.
Despite these obstacles, companies are already seeing benefits from generative AI. Around 71% said the technology has improved the speed and scale of content creation, while 67% reported that it has enabled non-creative teams to produce content more efficiently.
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