SynopsisIndia is in an 'Opportunity Kaal', not an AI drought, and that companies using AI aggressively will leave rivals behind within five years, says Hiren Ved, Director and CIO of Alchemy Capital Management. The AI adoption is creating a significant divide between leading firms and those lagging behind. Investors are urged to identify companies leveraging AI effectively. The strategic use of AI will drive competitive advantages and future growth for businesses. Listen to this article in summarized formatETMarkets.comIndia does not lack an AI story, investors are just not looking hard enough. That was the blunt message from Hiren Ved, Director and CIO of Alchemy Capital Management, speaking at the ET Alpha Wealth Summit in Mumbai. While the broader panel including Vikas Khemani, Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Carnelian Asset Management & Advisors, Saurabh Mukherjea, Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Marcellus, and Kailash Kulkarni, CEO, HSBC Mutual Fund, India, debated whether the next decade is India's 'Amritkaal' or 'AI-Kaal', Ved reframed the question entirely, calling it 'Opportunity Kaal'.India's AI index vs Mag-7: the numbers that surprised everyoneVed arrived at the summit with data that challenged a dominant market narrative — that India has no meaningful AI play and that foreign institutional investors are right to stay away. He constructed a proprietary India AI index of roughly 12 reasonably large mid-to-large cap stocks and compared it against an equal-weighted basket of the Magnificent 7 plus Nvidia.India AI index: 1 yr (USD)45%Mag-7 + Nvidia: 1 yr (USD)19%You Might Also Like:India AI index: 3 yr CAGR (USD)52%Mag-7 + Nvidia: 3 yr CAGR (USD)24%The outperformance held across every time frame, one year, two years, and three years, all measured in dollar terms, after accounting for currency depreciation. "If you think hard, if you think creatively, there are ways to make money," Ved said, dismissing the headline-driven view that India is being left behind in the AI race."Capital is very smart. Capital will go where the returns are the best. And everybody gets their time," said Ved.You Might Also Like:The AI adopters vs the laggards; a widening gapVed's more urgent warning was for stock-pickers: the divide between companies that actively use AI and those that ignore it will become decisive within three to five years, even if it is not visible in year one. He cited Bajaj Finance as a live example, noting the NBFC has already deployed AI across six to seven core processes, improving cost-to-income ratios, revenue potential, and credit risk management simultaneously.For investors, this means a new due-diligence question must enter every portfolio review: what is this company actually doing with AI? Those that leverage it well will compound their competitive advantage; those that do not will, in his words, "fall by the wayside."Disruption as a driver, not a disasterBeyond markets, Ved offered a philosophical lens on disruption itself, arguing that both incentives and shame are equally powerful motivators for reform. The gradual disappearance of conventional office career ladders, he suggested, will push more Indians toward entrepreneurship and sharper thinking about what skills actually matter in the decade ahead.His bottom line: stop lamenting what India lacks and start identifying where it quietly leads. "I become very happy when there are disruptions," he said, "because there is an impulse to change."You Might Also Like:( Originally published on Jun 11, 2026 )Read More News on(What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price...moreless(You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)Read More News on(What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price...moreless