Anirban Nandi, VP & Head of AI Products & Analytics, Rakuten India, asserts to CXO Media and APAC Media that Rakuten does not treat AI as a side project. Instead, it embeds AI with purpose, scales it with discipline, and delivers it through enterprise-ready solutions that drive real transformation.
How companies like Rakuten India are leveraging AI and analytics to drive global innovation?
At Rakuten India, AI and analytics are at the core of how we drive global innovation for the Rakuten Group. While Rakuten India operates as a Global Capability Centre, our role extends well beyond execution. We play a critical role in developing AI-first solutions across domains like e-commerce, fintech, and telecom – from generative AI applications such as intelligent support and personalised recommendations, to capabilities in search, fraud detection, and autonomous internal tools.
Because we operate at the intersection of multiple Rakuten businesses, we are uniquely positioned to cross-pollinate ideas. This is a strong advantage in a group as diverse as Rakuten. Our teams also power essential data operations like annotation and training pipelines, which are critical to building reliable, production-grade AI. So, it’s no longer just about R&D or PoCs.
We are focused on taking AI capabilities from concept to deployment, contributing significantly to Rakuten Group’s broader momentum in this area. In a global setup like this, where data, scale, and business diversity meet, Rakuten India becomes an ideal launchpad for AI experimentation and impact.
What are the solutions and services on the Rakuten portfolio for India that leverage AI and analytics?
Rakuten India’s Global Capability Centre plays a key role in driving innovation and delivery, powering about half of Rakuten’s 70+ businesses. Several AI-first platforms have been developed and scaled from India, contributing significantly to the overall portfolio.
In parallel, Rakuten India has also developed solutions like Rakuten SixthSense, a full-stack observability platform spanning application, data, and API layers. It has since evolved into a commercially available product that is now used by enterprises beyond Rakuten. This marks a clear shift in how our India centre operates.
The solutions built here are no longer internal tools but global products. It’s a reflection of the growing depth, maturity, and ambition of Rakuten India as a product and R&D powerhouse.
How is Rakuten leveraging AI/ML to drive AI-powered business transformation of enterprises?
Rakuten’s approach to transformation is rooted in what we call AI-nization, the deliberate, strategic infusion of AI across the entire business landscape. The focus is clear: AI should enhance human potential, not replace it. That’s why we follow a hybrid model, combining centralised AI expertise with domain-level deployment.
Internally, over 13,000 Rakuten employees actively use Rakuten AI every day, supported by more than 16,000 custom AI tools and templates created to date. The results are measurable: a 48% reduction in time to create sales collateral and a 54% cut in email drafting time. This is not just about productivity gains; it’s about scaling intelligence across the enterprise.
Externally, we are bringing these capabilities to the market through Rakuten AI for Business, a secure, enterprise-grade platform. It includes tools like AI Analyst (for data insights), AI Agent (for virtual assistance), and AI Librarian (for document intelligence). These are designed to integrate directly into business workflows across sales, marketing, support, and development.
With features like customizable prompt libraries, RAG-based document retrieval, usage analytics, and robust enterprise security controls, the platform empowers organisations to deploy generative AI confidently and at scale. Rakuten doesn’t treat AI as a side project. We embed it with purpose, scale it with discipline, and deliver it through enterprise-ready solutions that drive real transformation.
What are the factors driving your product roadmap development and how does it meet customer experience requirements?
Several key factors drive our product roadmap development, all centred on meeting customer experience requirements. We prioritise direct customer feedback gathered through surveys, user testing, and support interactions to identify pain points and unmet needs.
We closely monitor market trends and competitor offerings to anticipate future demands and identify opportunities for differentiation. Technological advancements also play a crucial role, enabling us to leverage new capabilities and improve existing features.
Finally, strategic alignment with overall business goals ensures that our product roadmap contributes to the company’s long-term success. By carefully balancing these factors, we create a roadmap that delivers innovative, user-friendly products that exceed customer expectations and drive satisfaction.
Why does building AI products internally offer a competitive edge in scalability, efficiency, and user experience?
Developing AI products internally offers a distinct competitive advantage. It allows for tailored scalability, ensuring the AI solutions precisely match the company’s data and processing needs. This leads to greater efficiency through deep integration with existing systems, streamlining workflows and optimising algorithms.
A superior user experience is achieved through complete control over design and functionality, enabling seamless integration and personalised interactions. Internal development fosters a deeper understanding of proprietary data, resulting in more accurate and relevant AI models. Ultimately, it safeguards intellectual property, creating a sustainable competitive edge that competitors find difficult to replicate.
How is Rakuten India tapping into India’s AI and analytics talent pool to lead the next wave of technological breakthroughs?
At Rakuten India, we are tapping into India’s rich AI and analytics talent pool through a focused, multi-pronged strategy. We recruit from top engineering and technology institutes, offering roles on advanced AI projects that appeal to both emerging and experienced talent.
But hiring is just the start. We invest heavily in upskilling through targeted training, global mobility, and mentorship, building deep internal capabilities and future-ready leaders. We also partner with leading universities and research bodies to sponsor research, run internships, and co-develop solutions, ensuring we stay close to emerging technologies and fresh ideas.
Equally important is our culture. We empower our AI teams with the freedom to experiment, build, and scale. It’s a space where ideas move quickly from concept to impact. By combining strategic recruitment, internal development, academic partnerships, a culture of innovation, and active industry engagement, Rakuten India is building a robust AI talent base within India and positioning itself at the forefront of technological advancement.
