Multinational companies struggling to compete for hires in the red-hot market for artificial intelligence engineers in their home countries are turning to back offices in India to meet their core AI needs.

Several groups including McDonald’s and UK insurer Bupa have unveiled plans in recent months to establish so-called global capability centres, which can perform a wide range of big-data tasks such as remotely monitoring fridge temperatures and offering customers personalised recommendations.

The centres represent a shift for India’s back offices from providing support services to performing core competitive functions that directly affect companies’ profitability. They come as hiring AI engineers in the US and Europe has become increasingly expensive, with some technology groups offering eye-watering sign-on bonuses for top talent.