As AI transforms the way enterprises operate, Suvidha Shashikumar is helping lead the shift – from traditional automation to intelligent, agent-driven systems. With over 16 years in the Business Applications space, she blends deep technical expertise with a strong understanding of real-world business needs.
Her career began in India with a degree in Computer Science Engineering and evolved through leadership roles at top Microsoft partners. Across industries, she led implementations in finance, sales, marketing and customer service – always focused on solving practical problems with scalable solutions.
Now at Microsoft headquarters, Suvidha serves as a Senior Partner Architect, helping Microsoft partners build impactful solutions on the AI and Power Platform, with a growing focus on Microsoft Copilot Studio. Her work enables enterprises to deploy AI agents that act autonomously, collaborate across systems, and handle everything from customer queries to internal processes.
An early advocate for low-code tools and AI copilots, Suvidha is known for her strategic thinking, clear communication, and passion for making complex tech accessible. She regularly shares insights through her Technical blogs, community forums, and speaking engagements – and her recent book, AI at Work: Microsoft Copilot and the Future of Work, explores how generative AI is reshaping the modern workplace.
Interview with Suvidha: The Future of Enterprise AI and Intelligent Agents
Q: Suvidha, you’ve been at the forefront of enterprise AI transformation. How do you define the current phase we’re in?
Suvidha: We’re entering what I call the “Agentic Age.” Previously, AI was mostly reactive – analyzing, recommending, assisting. But now we’re seeing AI take initiative, operate autonomously within defined guardrails, and even collaborate with other agents. In enterprises, this means shifting from static automation to intelligent orchestration.
Q: How are enterprise agents different from traditional bots or RPA tools?
Suvidha: Traditional bots were rule-based and task-specific. Enterprise AI agents, on the other hand, are context-aware, use natural language, and can chain tasks across systems using reasoning. Think of them less like scripts and more like collaborative digital workers who learn and adapt.
Q: What industries are seeing the fastest adoption?
Suvidha: Financial services and healthcare industries are seeing a lot of good use cases for AI. What’s exciting is how intelligent agents are driving horizontal use cases—like onboarding, approvals, reporting, and knowledge retrieval—that apply across all industries. We’re also seeing a major shift in personal productivity, where agents help individuals summarize meetings, draft content, and manage day-to-day tasks more efficiently.
Q: What are some common myths or misconceptions you encounter about enterprise AI?
Suvidha: One big myth is that AI agents will replace jobs overnight. The truth is, they change how work is done. They take over the tedious stuff so people can focus on creativity, strategy, and empathy. Another myth is that you need a PhD or a data science team to implement agents. With platforms like Microsoft Copilot Studio, that’s no longer true.
Q: Where should a company start if they want to build their first enterprise agent?
Suvidha: Start with a clear pain point that involves a lot of human repetition. It could be onboarding, customer query resolution, or internal approvals. Focus on a low-risk, high-impact area where success is easy to measure. Build a quick PoC, keep business users involved, test it in the real world, and iterate based on feedback. Starting small and strategic sets the foundation for broader adoption.
Q: What excites you most about the next 2-3 years in this space?
Suvidha: The convergence of AI agents with human-centered design. We’re going to see agents that not only perform but understand tone, sentiment, and context in deeper ways. And with cross-platform integration, agents will operate seamlessly across systems and platforms. It’s an exciting time to build.
As Suvidha continues to break barriers in enterprise AI, her vision of making intelligent agents accessible, ethical, and impactful is already reshaping how modern organizations operate. Through her work – whether architecting solutions, mentoring future leaders, or sharing insights with the broader tech community – she’s helping shape a future where technology doesn’t just automate work, but amplifies human potential.
