Zoho has launched Zia Chat, an AI interface that enables users to work across its more than 60 applications through a single AI interface. According to reports from Mint, the Chennai-headquartered software company is betting that AI will reshape enterprise software in two key ways: by changing how users interact with applications and by driving demand for faster-to-deploy, industry-specific software. The launch comes as Gartner estimates that 40% of enterprise applications will feature task-specific AI agents by the end of 2026, up from less than 5% in 2025. As reported by Business Standard, Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu stated that the goal is to "commoditise intelligence so customers can get work done, without incurring high costs on tokens." Speaking with ET AI, Vembu emphasized that "AI is the new UI. Not user interface but ubiquitous intelligence" and wants to make AI completely ubiquitous, seamless and bundled into the user experience.
With Zia Chat, Zoho is not adding another chatbot to individual applications but creating a common interface across its suite. As reported by Mint, Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu calls this "AI for work" and a "frictionless interface for work." Users can ask Zia to retrieve information, analyze records, prepare reports, draft emails and proposals, create tasks and schedule actions across applications. The system is built around Zoho's existing identity, permissions and business data, while also allowing Zia to connect with software outside the Zoho ecosystem. According to Business Standard, Zia Chat can summarise records and conversations, analyse business data and convert it into reports, charts, spreadsheets and presentations, besides drafting emails, assigning tasks and scheduling recurring reports, all within a single conversation. Users can switch between role-based "Profiles" and delegate multi-step work to "Zia Agents." Vembu demonstrated the system's capabilities by locating an email from a US job applicant and using it to correlate information for presentations, showing how AI can "give it to me as a chart" and embed it in presentations.
Zoho is addressing what Vembu calls an "interface crisis" where employees waste time navigating menus, hunting for dropdowns and fighting with fragmented software interfaces. As reported by ET AI, the company wants to make AI completely ubiquitous, seamless and bundled into the user experience, calling it "friction-free work." The problem Zoho is solving is that employees hop between applications and search for information across different systems. Zia Chat brings together information in business applications with the capabilities of AI models, allowing users to ask questions, prepare documents and initiate tasks through a conversation. Businesses can choose commercial AI models, open-source alternatives or Zoho's own models, with the interface drawing information from applications outside Zoho. The system follows a user's existing access permissions and requires them to review and confirm actions before anything is created, changed or sent, while the data accessed through it is not used to train Zoho's AI models.
Zoho has launched seven industry-specific offerings spanning retail, automotive, banking and financial services, healthcare, education, real estate and restaurants. According to Mint, the rationale is speed, with customers demanding quick deployment and rapid time-to-value rather than investing tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars with years of development time. Vembu indicated the company could expand the strategy to as many as 50 verticals over the next two to three years. As reported by Business Standard, the company announced sector-specific products including Zoho RetailIQ, a CRM for physical retail businesses; Zoho AutoDMS for automotive dealership management; and Zoho LOS, a loan origination system for banks, NBFCs and insurers covering the lending journey from application to disbursement. In healthcare, the company launched MedScribe, an AI-native clinical documentation tool that is compliant with India's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission that converts doctor-patient conversations into structured records. For education, Zoho Campus, launching first in India, will bring admissions, fee collection, attendance and timetabling onto a single platform. The retail offering includes software for managing customer relationships, while the real estate solution covers the property sales process, and restaurant software includes order, table, kitchen and inventory management.
Zoho's FY26 revenue has not been disclosed, but in FY25, operating revenue rose 17.7% to ₹12,313 crore, while net profit stood at ₹3,191 crore. As reported by Mint, revenue from India grew 45% in 2025, with Zoho Workplace, Zoho One, CRM, Books and People among the key growth drivers. The company is keeping the model layer open, allowing customers to bring their own models or use open-source models suggested by Zoho. According to Business Standard, Zoho, privately held and profitable, employs over 19,000 people and serves more than 150 million users globally across data centres it owns and operates. The company has gained prominence as the face of India's 'Swadeshi' software push, with Vembu positioned as a homegrown alternative to global majors such as Microsoft and Google. Vembu believes India will need to package software with atoms, stating "There is a critical question, will people just pay for bits alone?"
