Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the role of technology leaders in corporate India, with Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) increasingly moving beyond managing technology to driving organisational change, workforce readiness and business transformation, according to a LinkedIn study.
The survey found that 93% of Indian CTOs say their role is now increasingly focused on helping organisations adapt to future ways of working, reflecting how AI is expanding the technology function into a broader strategic leadership role. Nearly four in five (79%) said their responsibilities today include areas that were not part of their mandate a year ago, while 84% believe the CTO role is being redefined in real time.
The findings come as companies accelerate AI adoption across functions, forcing technology leaders to balance rapid deployment with long-term business outcomes.
Bridging the Gap
Nearly 79% of respondents said their role is evolving faster than their organisations can make decisions, highlighting the widening gap between the pace of technological change and corporate decision-making. More than half (56%) identified balancing long-term AI transformation with near-term business performance as one of their biggest leadership challenges.
“The role of technology leadership today extends far beyond managing systems and infrastructure,” said Malai Lakshmanan, Head of India Engineering at LinkedIn. “As AI adoption moves from experimentation to enterprise scale, success depends as much on people as technology. Organisations that invest in workforce readiness and continuous learning alongside AI deployment are likely to create greater long-term value.”
Convergence of Technology
The survey also points to a growing convergence between technology and human resources. More than half (51%) of CTOs identified stronger collaboration with Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) as the single most important factor in building an AI-ready workforce, while 89% said they already work closely with their HR counterparts.
Continuous learning has emerged as a key priority, with 92% of respondents saying ongoing skill development is essential to keep pace with technological change. At the same time, 91% said driving innovation remains the primary objective of their organisations’ AI investments.
The study also suggests AI is reshaping India’s employment landscape. Nearly four in five (79%) CTOs said the technology is creating entirely new roles that did not exist a few years ago, a trend reflected in LinkedIn’s *Jobs on the Rise 2026* list, where Prompt Engineer and AI Engineer rank among the country’s fastest-growing occupations.
Even as AI adoption gathers pace, business leaders face fresh challenges. More than 80% of CTOs said organisations are under pressure to deploy AI faster than they can effectively measure its impact, while maintaining employee trust amid changing roles and workplace expectations has emerged as a key governance concern, underscoring that the next phase of AI adoption will hinge as much on people as on technology.