From Backbone to Brain: How India’s GCCs Are Leading the Global Agentic AI Revolution 

Based on the EY GCC Pulse Survey 2025, India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are undergoing a fundamental strategic shift from being cost-efficient support centers to becoming innovation hubs and strategic partners, driven by the large-scale adoption of advanced AI. With 58% already investing in Agentic AI—where systems can autonomously execute multi-step tasks—and 83% investing in GenAI, these centers are applying AI to core functions like customer service and finance. This technological pivot is enabling them to claim a greater role in global decision-making, with over half (52%) now sharing accountability for worldwide decisions, and is fueling a talent strategy focused on upskilling and hiring for niche skills like AI/ML and deep domain expertise, solidifying India’s position as a source of strategic innovation rather than just operational support.

From Backbone to Brain: How India’s GCCs Are Leading the Global Agentic AI Revolution 

For decades, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India were celebrated for their cost efficiency. They were the operational backbone of multinational corporations, handling IT, finance, and customer service with reliable precision. But a seismic shift is underway. The backbone is developing a brain. 

According to the pivotal EY GCC Pulse Survey 2025, India’s GCCs have decisively moved from passive executors to active innovators, with a staggering 58% now investing in Agentic AI—a frontier technology where AI systems can execute multi-step tasks, make decisions, and operate with a degree of autonomy. This isn’t just an IT upgrade; it’s a fundamental reimagining of India’s role in the global corporate structure. 

The Leap from Generative to Agentic AI 

The survey notes that GenAI pilots have increased from 37% to 43% year-over-year. This is significant, but it represents the first chapter of the story. Generative AI is brilliant at creating content, summarizing data, and automating single-point tasks. It’s a powerful tool, but it often still requires a human operator. 

Agentic AI is the sequel. Think of it as the difference between a GPS that gives you directions (GenAI) and a self-driving car that navigates the entire journey, handles detours, and refuels itself (Agentic AI). The fact that 58% of GCCs are already investing in this technology, with another 29% planning to scale within a year, signals a race towards a new operational paradigm. GCCs are no longer just testing AI; they are building the autonomous, self-improving nerve centers for their global parents. 

This shift is being applied where it matters most: 

• Customer Service (65%): Moving beyond scripted chatbots to AI agents that can resolve complex, multi-issue tickets by accessing multiple systems and knowledge bases without human intervention. 

• Finance (53%): Deploying AI agents that can autonomously run month-end closing procedures, conduct predictive fraud analysis, and generate comprehensive regulatory reports. 

• Operations & Supply Chain (49%): Creating agents that dynamically optimize logistics, predict disruptions, and autonomously re-route shipments in real-time. 

The Rise of the “Innovation Arbitrage” 

This technological leap is fueling a more profound strategic change. Arindam Sen of EY India calls it the move from “cost advantage” to “innovation arbitrage.” This is the core human insight from the survey. GCCs are leveraging their unique position—access to deep talent pools, cross-functional collaboration, and a thriving local tech ecosystem—to generate ideas that are then globalized. 

The primary engine for this is the creation of dedicated innovation teams and incubation programs by two-thirds (67%) of GCCs. These aren’t just R&D labs; they are structured factories for ideas. They generate, test, and validate new processes and products specifically for the Indian context—a massive and complex market—and then scale the most successful ones to the rest of the world. India is becoming a live, global test-bed for innovation. 

The New Seat at the Table: From Delivery to Decision-Making 

This newfound capability is fundamentally altering the power dynamic within global enterprises. The GCC is no longer a remote office that takes orders; it is a strategic partner that shapes them. 

The survey data is unequivocal: 

• Shared Accountability: Over half (52%) of India GCCs now hold shared accountability for global decisions. They are in the room, not just on the call. 

• Formal Consultation: Another 26% are formally consulted, meaning their input is a mandatory part of the decision-making process. 

• Full Ownership: A significant 20% now operate with full ownership from India for select functions. 

This is evidenced by the critical responsibilities being driven from Indian shores: global strategy leadership (45%) and leadership pipeline development (35%). Indian GCCs are not just executing a global strategy; they are helping to craft it and are responsible for growing the next generation of company leaders worldwide. 

The Talent Metamorphosis: Skills Over Headcount 

This evolution demands a new kind of workforce. The era of hiring for general management roles is fading, replaced by a fierce competition for niche expertise. The talent strategy is now clearly defined: 

• Reskilling the Core (71%): Companies are heavily investing in transforming their existing workforce, recognizing that the talent they need may already be within their walls. 

• Upskilling on GenAI (81%): This is now table stakes. Making the entire organization AI-literate is the foundation for more advanced work. 

• Hiring for Specialization: GCCs are prioritizing deep domain expertise (66%), AI and ML (63%), and data engineering (54%). They are looking for experts who can build and manage the Agentic AI systems of tomorrow. 

This focus, coupled with stronger retention strategies, has had a tangible effect: attrition has steadily declined from 13% in 2023 to just 9% in 2025. When employees are engaged in cutting-edge, strategic work, they are more likely to stay. 

Navigating the New Frontier: Risk and Governance 

With great power comes great responsibility—and greater risk. The survey reveals that while GCCs are advancing rapidly technologically, their cybersecurity and governance frameworks are still maturing. Only 7% have a fully embedded Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. 

A telling statistic is the sharp increase in monitoring third-party data access—from 44% to 60%. As GCCs build more complex AI ecosystems involving external partners, managing this extended attack surface is a top priority. Furthermore, concerns over data privacy have risen significantly (42% vs. 32%), reflecting both global regulatory trends and the inherent risks of feeding sensitive data into AI models. 

The Future is a Designed, Not a Default, State 

In response to these trends, EY has launched its ‘Intelligent GCC’ solution suite, a blueprint for this new era. It focuses on four pillars that will define the next-generation GCC: 

• AI-Native by Design: Building new GCCs from the ground up with AI and data at their core, rather than retrofitting technology later. 

• Autonomous Value Chains: Using Agentic AI to overhaul end-to-end processes, not just automate individual tasks. 

• AI-Fluent Workforce: Implementing role-specific learning to move from literacy to fluency. 

• Embedded Governance: Baking responsible AI and cybersecurity into the fabric of operations from day one. 

Conclusion: The Center of Gravity Shifts 

The EY GCC Pulse Survey 2025 is more than a report; it’s an obituary for the old model of offshoring and a birth announcement for a new one. India’s GCCs are shedding their identity as cost-saving delivery centers and are being reborn as strategic partners, innovation hubs, and decision-making nuclei. 

They are leveraging their unique blend of talent, cross-functional maturity, and a vibrant AI ecosystem to offer global firms something that goes far beyond arbitrage: strategic agility. As Manoj Marwah of EY India notes, this gives global firms a capability “they can’t easily build elsewhere.” The message is clear: the global capability center of the future won’t just be in India; its strategic intelligence will be from India.