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Agentic AI Reduced Productivity at Nearly 30% of Companies, McKinsey Report Finds

/ Human Resource Community

The growing adoption of agentic artificial intelligence is not necessarily resulting in higher productivity for businesses, with productivity declining at nearly 30 per cent of companies after teams began using autonomous AI tools, according to McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2026. The report noted that organisations can face operational challenges when they introduce agentic AI into software development without making corresponding changes to their existing workflows and processes. While autonomous AI systems can automate several stages of software development, the productivity benefits have differed significantly across organisations. McKinsey cautioned that simply increasing the amount of coding does not necessarily lead to more useful products or faster business growth. In one study cited in the report, AI tools increased coding activity by 180 per cent, while the number of shipped releases increased by only 30 per cent. The report also highlighted a significant trust gap among developers. Globally, around 46 per cent of developers said they actively distrust the accuracy of AI tools, while 33 per cent said they trust them. Only 3 per cent expressed a high level of trust in AI-generated outputs. McKinsey said developer confidence and acceptance could become an important factor determining the value organisations derive from agentic software development. Despite these concerns, investment in agentic AI continues to grow rapidly. Equity investment in companies developing agentic software increased from relatively negligible levels through 2023 to around $5 billion in 2025. The figure crossed $61 billion in the first half of 2026, largely driven by a reported $60 billion acquisition of Cursor. Job postings related to agentic AI also rose 221 per cent between 2024 and 2025. The broader AI ecosystem is witnessing a similar surge in investment. Spending on AI infrastructure doubled within a year, while energy technologies attracted nearly $200 billion in investment during 2025 as companies sought to address the rising energy requirements associated with AI. McKinsey said the rapid pace of AI adoption is creating additional challenges for businesses, many of which are attempting to scale the technology without established implementation frameworks. Organisations must simultaneously address workforce upskilling, legacy-system upgrades and evolving cybersecurity risks as AI becomes increasingly integrated into business operations. Source: McKinsey

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IIM Kozhikode Introduces 20-Week Executive Programme on Product Innovation with AI and Agentic AI

/ Education Community

Responding to the growing demand for artificial intelligence-driven product development, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode has launched a 20-week Executive Programme in Product Innovation with AI & Agentic AI. The programme is designed to equip working professionals with the expertise needed to create AI-powered products and drive innovation in an increasingly AI-centric business environment. The curriculum focuses on enabling participants to move beyond the use of conventional AI tools and develop AI-native products. It covers the complete product development lifecycle, including identifying market opportunities, understanding customer needs, rapid prototyping, deployment, optimisation, and scaling AI-enabled solutions. The programme will be delivered by IIM Kozhikode faculty alongside experienced industry professionals working on cutting-edge AI products. Participants will also attend four live masterclasses covering key topics such as AI-native product design, human-AI interaction, agentic AI systems, and emerging trends in AI-led product innovation. As part of the hands-on learning experience, learners will complete five applied mini projects and a capstone project focused on AI opportunity assessment, customer validation, experimentation, prototyping, agentic workflow development, and deployment-ready product creation. The course also offers practical exposure to more than 20 industry-standard AI and product management tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, Figma, Uizard, n8n, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Miro, Notion, Jira, and Google Looker Studio. Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive a certificate from IIM Kozhikode. They can also choose an optional one-day campus immersion, available at an additional cost, to engage in networking opportunities and academic interactions. The executive programme aims to help professionals understand how AI is transforming product strategy, business models, user experience, agile development, data strategy, and autonomous workflows, preparing them to build innovative products for the AI-first era. The launch comes at a time when AI adoption continues to accelerate globally. According to the McKinsey State of AI Report 2025, 88% of organisations have integrated AI into at least one business function, compared to 55% in the previous year. Meanwhile, insights from the Forrester 2026 and Figma AI Report 2025 indicate that 51% of AI product teams are now developing agentic AI solutions, a significant increase from 21% in 2024. Source: Indian Express  

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AI Tool Boosts India’s Disease Surveillance, Generates Over 5,000 Alerts: Study

/ Health & Wellness Community

An artificial intelligence–powered surveillance system deployed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has significantly strengthened India’s ability to track infectious disease outbreaks, generating more than 5,000 real-time alerts for health authorities since 2022, according to a new pre-print study. Developed by WadhwaniAI, the Health Sentinel platform has automated the labor-intensive task of scanning news reports for unusual health events. The system reportedly reduced manual workload by 98%, enabling faster outbreak detection and quicker public health action. The findings are currently under review and not yet peer-reviewed. Under India’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), media scanning and verification has long relied on manual review of print, television and online news. Health Sentinel upgrades this process by screening articles daily across 13 languages, applying AI models to highlight potential threats that are later reviewed by epidemiologists. According to the study, the platform has processed over 300 million news articles since April 2022, identifying 95,000+ unique health-related events, of which around 3,500 were shortlisted by NCDC experts as possible outbreaks. Researchers also estimate that the AI-enabled system triggered more than 5,000 actionable alerts between April 2022 and April 2025. Parag Govil, National Program Lead for Global Health Security at WadhwaniAI, said the tool preserves human oversight while eliminating the time-consuming manual scanning traditionally required. Epidemiologists validate flagged events before disseminating them to state and district authorities. The research team noted a 150% surge in published health events captured since adopting AI-assisted surveillance, compared to earlier years of fully manual analysis. In 2024 alone, 96% of reported events were identified through the AI system, with only 4% coming from manual review. Globally, event-based surveillance techniques that incorporate online media or social media sources are increasingly used to complement traditional “passive reporting” from healthcare providers. The volume of daily online content, however, has made manual screening impractical, making automated systems essential. The article also references other Indian studies highlighting the value of enhanced surveillance. A pilot conducted in six private hospitals in Kasaragod, Kerala, used an algorithm to analyse cases of acute febrile illness (AFI). The system detected 88 clusters, with several verified as outbreaks—including dengue and COVID-19—demonstrating the benefits of early, data-driven detection. International research supports similar conclusions. A 2020 review in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics found that machine learning–based analysis of social media posts, especially on Twitter, improved disease trend prediction. Another study, published in 2017 in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, showed that mining news articles can help fill gaps when official national case data is delayed. Overall, the findings underscore the growing importance of AI-driven surveillance systems in strengthening public health response capabilities and improving global health security. Source: PTI

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EU Initiates Complaints Against Microsoft’s 365 Education Suite Over Privacy Concern

/ Education Community

Microsoft is currently facing two complaints in the European Union (EU) regarding its online education software, 365 Education. According to a report by Reuters, the latest charges against the US-based tech giant have been brought to the Austrian privacy watchdog by the privacy advocacy group NOYB. The group has urged the Austrian Data Protection Authority to investigate these complaints and potentially impose a fine on Microsoft. What is Microsoft 365 Education Suite? During the COVID-19 pandemic, online educational programs gained popularity as schools transitioned to remote teaching. Microsoft’s 365 Education suite offers various tools for students, including Word, Excel, Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Complaints Against Microsoft’s 365 Education Suite First Complaint: The advocacy group NOYB alleged that Microsoft shifted the burden of complying with EU data privacy laws (GDPR) onto schools. According to NOYB, schools cannot adequately manage student data under these regulations. NOYB lawyer Maartje de Graaf stated: “Under the current system that Microsoft is imposing on schools, your school would have to audit Microsoft or give them instructions on how to process pupils’ data. Everyone knows that such contractual arrangements are out of touch with reality. This is nothing more but an attempt to shift the responsibility for children’s data as far away from Microsoft as possible.” Second Complaint: The second complaint centers around cookies installed in Microsoft’s 365 Education suite that advertisers use to track consumers. NOYB lawyer Felix Mikolasch expressed concerns: “Our analysis of the data flows is very worrying. Microsoft 365 Education appears to track users regardless of their age. This practice is likely to affect hundreds of thousands of pupils and students in the EU and EEA (European Economic Area).” EU’s Previous Warnings to Microsoft Last month, the EU warned Microsoft that it could impose a fine of up to 1% of its global annual revenue if it fails to provide requested information about the risks associated with its generative AI tools in the Bing search engine. In March, the EU asked tech giants, including Microsoft, to provide details on how they manage risks from AI tools. Microsoft has been accused of dodging questions about its “Copilot in Bing” and “Image Creator” features, which the EU fears may violate new laws by spreading misinformation and manipulating voters.  

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