India’s technology industry has long relied on talent, cost efficiency and scale. But as artificial intelligence makes advanced tools more accessible, these advantages alone may no longer be enough to differentiate companies.
The next edge, according to technology leaders at TechSparks 2026, will come from how effectively companies use AI to solve specific problems, understand customers and build products that are difficult to replicate.
During a panel titled The New CTO Playbook: India’s Next Tech Advantage, Nitin Jain, CTO of ShareChat and Moj; Ajit Narayanan, CTO of Angel One; Srividhya Srinivasan, CTO of Amagi; and Ankit Maheshwari, founder and CTO of Innovaccer, discussed how Indian technology companies can remain competitive in an AI-driven market, at the 17th edition of YourStory’s flagship tech-startup event, TechSparks.
India’s complexity is an advantage
For ShareChat and Moj, India’s linguistic and cultural diversity offers an opportunity to build products for varied audiences. Nitin Jain said companies must account for differences in languages, devices, network quality and user preferences.
ShareChat, which Jain said has around 200 million monthly active users, uses audience behaviour to improve content recommendations and identify emerging preferences.
He said the challenge is to deliver experiences comparable with global platforms while operating within India’s cost constraints. Building flexible technology that accommodates diverse users, he added, can help companies expand faster.
Data alone is not enough
In healthcare, Innovaccer’s Ankit Maheshwari said proprietary data is valuable but does not automatically create a competitive moat.
Healthcare information is often fragmented across medical records, billing systems and medication databases. Connecting these sources is only the first step; the real challenge is using the information to determine what action should follow.
“Data in itself, or having proprietary data, is not a moat,” Maheshwari said.
He argued that companies need a context and intelligence layer that understands industry workflows, exceptions and operational requirements. In healthcare, this means moving beyond general-purpose AI to solutions that can work reliably across hospitals, providers and complex processes.
Trust must be built into AI
For Angel One’s Ajit Narayanan, trust can be a differentiator in financial services, where technology failures can have direct financial consequences.
He cited the example of a trading order for which a customer receives no acknowledgement. Without knowing whether the order was processed, retrying could result in duplicate positions and potential losses.
Narayanan said trust must be embedded in system design through accurate information, safeguards and accountability, rather than treated merely as a brand promise.
He also outlined three considerations for AI automation: the cost of an incorrect decision, whether it can be reversed, and whether it can be audited. Human oversight, he argued, should focus on meaningful safeguards rather than simply assigning responsibility when systems fail.
Building in India, scaling globally
Amagi’s Srividhya Srinivasan said India’s complex media environment has helped the company develop products for global markets.
Multiple languages, subtitles, audience demographics and advertising formats expose technology providers to challenges that also arise in international media operations.
Srinivasan said Amagi developed solutions for India before taking some of them global. Emerging AI applications, including real-time dubbing, subtitling and short-form content creation, offer further opportunities.
However, she said expansion should depend on market readiness rather than a fixed India-first strategy. Companies must identify where customers are prepared to adopt a product and where it solves an immediate need.
The advantage lies in execution
Jain said AI is helping ShareChat accelerate content production and improve recommendations by analysing how users engage with videos and other formats.
The platform can use these signals to test content ideas, understand audience preferences and refine recommendations. The ability to feed user responses back into AI systems quickly creates a continuous improvement cycle.
The broader message from the panel was that access to AI alone will not guarantee a lasting advantage. Companies must combine technology with specialised knowledge, customer understanding, reliable systems and the ability to execute at scale.
For India’s technology industry, talent, cost and scale remain important foundations. But the next competitive edge will depend on how effectively companies turn those strengths into products that solve complex problems and deliver measurable value."