Scaling Global Capability Centers With AI: Lessons from Leading Enterprises

Citing a recent global BCG survey of GCC and enterprise leaders, “AI, notably advanced AI use cases, including GenAI, NLP, and AI agents, stand out as a critical accelerator of GCC maturity. While top performers have moved beyond pilots to embed AI across core workflows, most GCCs remain trapped in early-stage experimentation.”  

With this in perspective, the race to scale global capability centers is aligned with AI transformation. It implies that AI-first GCCs that lead in AI integration are redefining what it means to scale, mature, and compete on the global stage. 

AI as the Catalyst for Gaining Maturity for GCCs 

Over 50% of India’s GCC leaders today prioritize AI as a central function, planning transformative investments over the next three years. Industry data reveals that while some GCCs leverage AI for cost savings and productivity, freeing talent for innovation, many struggle to scale beyond pilots, with just 5% of use cases reaching robust implementation.  

The difference? Top performers treat AI as core infrastructure, not an experiment. 

From Experimentation to Embedded Intelligence 

Leading enterprises have shifted AI away from confined pilots to everyday workflows, from finance to HR to customer operations. These organizations deploy digital ‘full-time equivalents’ alongside human teams. In some centers, over 30% of transactional workloads and 80% of routine tasks are handled by bots and agents, with plans to double the share in the next few years. This is fundamentally about reimagining the GCC operating model. 

Embracing New Age Technology and Cloud-first Foundations 

What if a leading fashion retailer could transform its GCC operations by leveraging automation and a cloud platform, achieving a remarkable FTE reduction and reallocate those resources to digital R&D initiatives? 

AI, automation, and cloud are no longer optional. They are integral to the modern GCC’s DNA. Firms embedding advanced analytics and automation into their GCC processes see greater efficiency and the ability to pivot services to support business model changes in real time. 

Cloud cost management is a make-or-break issue for scaling GCCs in 2025. As more teams and services migrate to the cloud, real-time monitoring, costs attribution, and optimization become critical to avoid runaway expenditures. Leaders must build strong, forward-looking cloud governance, and FinOps frameworks to ensure financial discipline and security. 

Talent, Culture, and Human Connection in AI-First GCCs 

AI scaling is not confined to introducing a new technology. Human factor weighs high. Many GCCs cite talent gaps, resistance to change, and business integration challenges as bigger obstacles than access to technology itself. Building multidisciplinary ‘fusion teams’ that combine AI trainers, automation architects, and business SMEs is emerging as the new norm. While strong governance and change management programs separate thriving centres from stagnating ones. 

Let’s say a fintech GCC faced delays in automating loan approval processes because employees lacked AI skills and were skeptical about new workflows. After a targeted upskilling initiative and inclusive change management, project velocity doubled, and morale soared. 

Beyond Automation, Scaling With Impact 

The new face of GCC scaling is autonomous value chain automation, which implies using AI and robotic process automation (RPA) to transform tasks and the processes across order-to-cash and hire-to-retire cycles. Hyper automation ensures exceptions are routed, anomalies are detected and learned from, and process optimization is continuous.  

Rigorous AI Governance and Continuous Optimization in GCCs 

The optimization phase requires robust governance, such as regulations, metrics, and risk controls to ensure the GCC does not become another silo but an engine of resilience and strategic value. Embedded hyperautomation, predictive analytics, and AI-driven decision-making are essential for responding to new risks and driving ongoing improvements. 

Let’s consider a global oil and gas major’s GCC delivered over 60% efficiency, and 85% accuracy gains just by standardizing and automating processes. This implies, in the process, it was expanding its scope from simple transactional work to supporting complex global supply chain decisions. 

Scaling GCCs Responsibly: Pitfalls and Lessons Learned 

Every opportunity in the GCC scaling journey comes with its share of risks. In the rush to scale, many mid-sized enterprises have struggled with failed transformations due to unclear priorities, underinvestment in leadership capability, or rising regulatory complexity. Unattended, these issues can turn a GCC dream into a source of drag rather than enterprise lift. 

For instance, referring to the scalability of GCCs, a 2025 Everest blog states, “Retaining talent for longer tenures and scaling beyond 300-500 FTEs requires a different employee value proposition strategy, and talent and governance models. Poor planning, or a lack of proactive adjustments, can then create fragmented processes and bottlenecks.” 

Modernizing the GCC Operating Model for the AI Era 

Hierarchical, siloed structures limit scale and speed. Leading enterprises are rearchitecting their GCC frameworks to be fluid, connected, and agile. Empowering local leadership, decentralizing decision-making, and building ‘Centres of Excellence’ (CoEs) to enable rapid innovation while maintaining global standards. 

The GCC landscape is accelerating toward maturity through AI scaling. While technology adoption is almost universal, the challenge now is moving past pilots and experiments and embedding intelligence everywhere. The leaders in this space blend bold technology frameworks with human-first transformation, writing the playbook for next-generation enterprise scaling. 

Tomorrow’s GCCs will be judged by the autonomy, agility, and intelligence that they will be able to unleash. AI is an accelerator; moreover, it’s the foundation of enterprise maturity, and those willing to scale it will define the next decade of global business. 

Ready to unlock proven strategies for scaling and building an AI-first GCC? Don’t miss this opportunity to learn directly from industry leaders and discover actionable frameworks for success. Register now for our upcoming expert-led webinar, “Key Success Factors in Building and Scaling an AI-First GCC,” and take the next step on your GCC transformation journey. 

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