BT Exclusive: ‘Human-in-the-Loop is AI’s biggest safeguard’: Arundhati Bhattacharya on the agentic era

As AI technology advances, companies like Anthropic are transforming AI from mere assistants to autonomous decision-makers. This shift has prompted a critical dialogue about control, accountability, and intent in the age of agentic AI. At the recent Trailblazing Women Summit 2026 organized by Salesforce, industry leaders emphasized a crucial revelation: in this new era, humans are not being replaced but rather repositioned. In an exclusive discussion with Business Today, Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO of Salesforce South Asia, articulated that the true challenge lies not in the intricacy of technology but in how organizations implement it. Agentic AI, with its capacity to act, initiate workflows, and solve problems independently, is already transforming enterprise processes. "You cannot drop intelligence into a vacuum," she warned, highlighting that without cohesive and governed data, even the most advanced AI systems may become superficial rather than genuinely effective. For Indian enterprises, renowned for their ambition and scale, this moment is significant. Bhattacharya noted that the disconnect between experimentation and creating enterprise-wide value arises from treating AI as a separate tool instead of integrating it into the organization's foundational structure. Companies that can bridge this gap are poised to shape the future. As AI systems gain more autonomy, the importance of human oversight only intensifies. The concept of 'human-in-the-loop' is evolving into a more sophisticated framework, emphasizing the necessity of defining boundaries for AI actions, recommendations, and areas where human judgment is essential. With years of leadership experience, Bhattacharya reiterated that context, ethics, and personal experience uniquely shape human judgment in ways AI cannot replicate. "AI doesn’t diminish human judgment; it elevates it," she stated. This transition allows humans to escape monotonous tasks and positions them at the forefront of crucial decisions that impact trust, relationships, and long-term outcomes. Additionally, this evolution is redefining leadership. In a world dominated by agentic AI, the speed of innovation cannot come at the expense of governance. Leaders are challenged to harmonize competitive urgency with ethical accountability, ensuring their teams are prepared, their clients safeguarded, and their systems robust. "We are at an inflection point, not just for technology but for leadership itself," Bhattacharya remarked during the summit, which attracted over 380 in-person attendees and 3,700 virtual participants from various sectors. The ultimate challenge for organizations, she suggested, is to transition from merely reacting to AI disruptions to actively shaping them with purpose. Ultimately, the era of agentic AI may be characterized not by the intelligence of machines but by the wisdom with which humans choose to steer them.