India, Oct. 16 -- Cisco's AI Readiness Index 2025 has found that a small but consistent group of organisations, the "Pacesetters", are widening the gap in AI adoption and performance. Representing 17% of Indian companies and 13% globally, these leaders are three times more likely than others to scale AI pilots and 72% more likely to achieve measurable business value.

Cisco's global survey of more than 8,000 AI and business leaders across 30 markets reveals that the most AI-prepared firms are not just experimenting with AI, they are operationalising it. Their secret: a disciplined, system-level approach to aligning strategy, infrastructure, and governance.

The report finds growing enthusiasm for agentic AI, systems that act autonomously ...