#NTLF2024 Session Highlights | February 21, 2024

Dive into the Incredible Final Day of #NTLF2024! – Feb 21, 2024

As the curtains draw on the 32nd edition of the nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum, we can't help but marvel at the extraordinary journey we've embarked on together over the two days. We wrapped up the conference with a flourish, leaving behind a trail of inspiration, innovation, and invaluable connections.

#NTLF2024 adeptly tackled priorities of individuals, businesses, industries, and nations by envisioning a future characterized by highly democratized AI, emphasizing the essential role of humans in the GenAI era, and forecasting forthcoming disruptions, risks, and growth opportunities.

Through compelling use cases, lively debates, and insightful discussions, the event effectively addressed the global leadership's concerns and opportunities regarding GenAI.

Session XIII: Opening Keynote With Dr Harshdeep Kamble

Dr Harshdeep Kamble, Principal Secretary at Ministry of Industries, Government of Maharashtra, delivered a captivating opening keynote, shedding light on the indispensable role of smart manufacturing in shaping the automotive sector's future. Highlighting the transformative influence of AI, Dr Kamble showcased Maharashtra's pioneering initiatives, such as predictive maintenance and virtual production design, which have revolutionized operations, boosting productivity and efficiency. Maharashtra's progressive journey, driving significant contributions to India's industrial output and GDP, underscores the profound impact of smart manufacturing in reshaping global industry dynamics.

Session XIV: Keynote: Navigating the Tech-Driven Landscape: Thriving in the Modern World With Bernard Marr

In his keynote address, Bernard Marr , renowned futurist and thought leader, emphasized the transformative potential of AI in addressing business challenges and driving tangible outcomes. He highlighted the imminent impact of quantum computing and the advent of 5G/6G technology in enhancing data processing capabilities and AI efficiency. He emphasized the necessity for businesses to swiftly adapt to evolving digital landscapes and capitalize on AI's capacity for real-world problem-solving, which fosters innovation. He stressed the importance of continuous learning and skill development to navigate the era of digital hyper-innovation effectively.

Session XV: Fireside Chat: Open Minds, Open Source: Infinite AI Innovation, or Not? With Andrew Ng

Andrew Ng , Founder of DeepLearning.AI and Coursera , during a discussion with Abhishek Singh , Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), & President & CEO National e Governance Division, offered an optimistic outlook on the future of AI, drawing parallels between its transformative potential and that of web search engines and MS Excel.

He highlighted AI's ability to enhance task efficiency, citing findings from an OpenAI study, and called for regulated AI applications to encourage innovation while mitigating risks such as misinformation. Ng's vision entails a future where responsible AI usage and regulation drive both societal and technological progress.

Session XVI: Spotlight Fireside Chat: The Semiconductor Revolution: AI Powering the New Oil With Manish Bhatia

Manish Bhatia , Executive Vice President – Global Operations at 美光科技 , joined Benjamin Parkin, South Asia Correspondent at the Financial Times, to discuss India's semiconductor revolution. Bhatia highlighted the industry's significant growth, particularly in processing, led by key players like Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, and Qualcomm. He underscored Micron's expertise in memory solutions, particularly in DRAM and NAND Flash.

Additionally, Bhatia noted the importance of analogue semiconductors for sensors and power management within the industry. With rapid advancements in AI, the semiconductor market is poised to double from $500 billion to $1 trillion by 2030.

Session XVII: In-Conversation: AI Pioneers: India's Impact - 'Bold Moves, Bold Outcomes’ With Shanker Trivedi

Shanker Trivedi from 英伟达 expressed his admiration for India's vibrant startup ecosystem, emphasizing its pivotal role in the AI revolution. In the dialogue with Debjani Ghosh from nasscom, Trivedi explored AI's transformative impacts across various sectors like healthcare, telecommunications, and manufacturing, showcasing collaborative efforts and India's significant contributions to AI innovation.

Trivedi underscored India's importance in NVIDIA's global operations as its second-largest base, emphasizing the nation's critical role in advancing AI technologies. Debjani Ghosh echoed this sentiment, highlighting Indian startups' relentless innovation and their significant contributions at both national and global levels.

Session XVIII: Fireside Chat: Unlocking $1 Trillion Growth with the Power of AI With Ashwin Yardi; Daisy Chittilapilly

The fireside chat, moderated by Nitin Bhatt from 安永 India, dived into AI's transformative impact on business, opportunities, and risk mitigation. Daisy Chittilapilly , President of Cisco India & SAARC, emphasized the importance of incorporating human oversight alongside technology and AI frameworks for effective business transformation. She also highlighted the significance of automation and the generation of new revenue streams through Gen AI.

Ashwin Yardi , CEO of 凯捷咨询 India, emphasized the four C's organizations need to embrace AI and business challenges: COMMUNICATE the roadmap, CO-CREATE, COLLABORATE with different ecosystems, and CALIBRATE along the way. Key takeaways included balancing AI innovation with human-centric approaches, fostering collaboration between industry and government for ethical AI application, enhancing customer and driving experiences with AI, transforming internal operations and customer services, and leveraging AI for new business models and revenue streams.

Workshop: Mastering Enterprise-Ready GenAI: Unveiling India's Foundational Models With Prof Ganesh Ramakrishnan; Dr Vishnu Vardhan

This engaging, power-packed workshop, featuring Prof Ganesh Ramakrishnan from CSE IIT Bombay and Dr Vishnu Vardhan , Founder & CEO, Vizzhy Inc. dived into AI's potential. Prof Ramakrishnan emphasized the importance of data efficiency, diversity, and canonical representation in overcoming challenges such as accent recognition and educational content alignment. He also showcased how AI is transforming India's diverse linguistic landscape.

Next-Gen Growth: Session 1: Leaders' Discussion: From Productivity to Trust: Decoding AI Success for Business With Harsh Kar; Puneet Chandok

Talking about India's tech transformation, @Harsh Kar, from 简柏特 , highlighted AI's democratization, while Puneet Chandok from Microsoft, praised India's tech potential, and Rajiv Gupta , from 波士顿谘询公司 , stressed on trust in AI.

Harsh Kar shared a transformative AI experience, emphasizing the importance of balancing efficiency with ethical considerations, while Rajiv Gupta extracted key insights on AI's role in business. Puneet Chandok envisioned a workplace where AI brought back joy, emphasizing the need for security, trust, and transparency in AI adoption.

Innovate Tech Fusion: Session 1: Leaders' Discussion: Tomorrow's Power: Energy Alternatives in Smart Environments With Kishor Patil; Neeraj Sethi

The discussion unveiled a path towards a renewable energy future as the panel shared groundbreaking strategies and steadfast commitments that are sculpting a sustainable tomorrow.

Kishor Patil from KPIT unveiled the transformative potential of hydrogen as India's future energy powerhouse. He reinforced KPIT's green pledge, focusing on net-zero targets and empowering clients to navigate their eco-friendly transformations.

Neeraj Sethi , 贝克休斯 delved into the urban energy dilemma, separating the facts on energy consumption from emissions myths. He elaborated on his organisation's mission to streamline sustainable energy directly to consumers, marking a pivotal era of transition towards green power.

Prarthana Borah expressed her excitement towards the electric vehicle revolution, especially with regards to a future where EVs move beyond personal use to become the backbone of public transportation.

Enterprises Reinventing: Session 1: Leaders' Discussion: Charting the Competitive Landscape: Business Mavericks’ Insights With Jay Shah; Mohit Kapoor; Dr Om Manchanda

In this session, Jay Shah , Head of Data and Analytics at Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd, highlighted the digital-first strategy in banking, emphasizing customer experience, regulatory compliance, and staff empowerment through technology. Mohit Kapoor , Group CTO of Mahindra Group , discussed AI's role in agricultural and environmental benefits, including advising farmers for optimal harvest times and achieving net-zero inventory.

Dr Om Manchanda , Managing Director of Dr Lal PathLabs , emphasized AI's potential in early disease detection and personalized medicine. Surabhi Agarwal , Editor of Technology at The Economic Times , stressed technology's dual role in innovation and challenges like cybersecurity, advocating for collaboration between the government and private sector.

The session brought together industry mavericks who unveiled critical insights destined to shape the competitive landscape across diverse sectors.

Next-Gen Growth: Session 2: Deep Tech Startup Stories: Securing Critical Infrastructure Against Attacks and Ransomware With Bala Manoharan

Bala Manoharan showcased his startup, SecneurX , highlighting its cutting-edge approach to securing critical infrastructure. By combining CDR and sandbox technology, he elaborated on SecneurX's strategy on ensuring a zero-trust model for document safety, effectively defending against attacks and ransomware.

Innovate Tech Fusion: Session 2: Leaders' Discussion: GenAI at Work: Transforming Potential into Revenue & Productivity Boosts With Samit Banerjee, Senthil Ramani

GenAI is revolutionizing work by enabling hyperpersonalization, data innovation, and solving complex business challenges. In this session, leaders discussed visionary approaches to harnessing GenAI for these purposes.

Senthil (Sen) Ramani from Accenture in India emphasized hyperpersonalization with GenAI, focusing on data transformation and nurturing talent. Ravi Chhabria (he/him) from NetApp India highlighted AI's evolution, emphasizing data responsibility, and predicting convergence in privacy and performance. Samit Banerjee from Amdocs anticipated swift GenAI adoption in the telecom sector, advocating for responsible AI to safeguard data integrity and emphasizing the importance of partnerships for leveraging AI's potential in solving business challenges.

Enterprises Reinventing: Session 2: Keynote: Winning Strategies for Modern CX: Mastering the Digital Playground Holistically With Murat Genc

Murat Genc , Global Technology and Data Officer at 惠而浦 , discussed Superior Digital Experiences, Connected Products, Real-time Digital Enterprise, Data and AI Foundation, and People & Tech Centres in his keynote. He emphasized on the data principles based on the FAIR and Secure model, prioritizing data findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability, and ethical considerations to drive innovation while ensuring security and privacy.

Key takeaways included enhancing customer experiences with superior digital integration, leveraging AI for actionable insights and personalized services, and prioritizing ethical data practices to maintain user trust and compliance.

Session XIX: Leaders' Discussion: Smart Moves: The Future of Intelligent Supply Chains With Barbara Bergmeier; Chad Kerlin

Ashish Khushu of L&T Technology Services led the session, exploring AI's transformative role in supply chain management. The session featured insights from Chad Kerlin of 通用磨坊 , who discussed the company's adept navigation through disruptions, and Barbara Bergmeier of JLR , who highlighted the adoption of AI-driven supply chain strategies. Bergmeier emphasized resilience and digital agility with AI, while Kerlin shared General Mills' proactive approach to reshaping its supply chain during COVID, ensuring a steady supply of essential products through collaboration with partners.

Leaders elaborated on transforming business operations by integrating AI into intelligent supply chains, revolutionizing efficiency, resilience, and innovation in manufacturing, logistics, and beyond. The discussions focussed on cutting edge of AI advancements, uncovering strategic innovations that reshaped industry futures and unlocked unprecedented opportunities across the business landscape.

Session XX: Expert Keynote: The Tech Game: Redefining the Global Superpower Dynamics With Pramit Pal Chaudhuri

Is mastering future technologies the pathway to global dominance? In the captivating keynote led by Pramit Pal Chaudhuri , South Asia Head at Eurasia Group , the intersection of geopolitics and technology was elaborated upon. The expert explored how governments strategically prioritize emerging technologies such as AI, Quantum Computing, and Synthetic Biology.

Session XXI: Leaders' Discussion: Sustainable Frontiers: Harmonizing Clean Energy, Waste, and Circularity With Dr Praveer Sinha; Vikram Prabakar

Santhosh Jayaram from HCLTech facilitated a discussion with Dr Praveer Sinha of TATA Power and Vikram Prabakar ?? from Recykal.com on the dynamic relationship between clean energy and the circular economy.

Insights on renewable energy, waste management, and circular practices highlighted transformative strategies for a sustainable future, impacting manufacturing, logistics, and beyond. Santhosh Jayaram posed thought-provoking questions, emphasizing the need for value-driven recycling to achieve sustainability goals, while Dr Praveer Sinha highlighted significant changes in the power sector, advocating for adaptation to multidirectional energy sources. Vikram Prabakar discussed the evolving technology of recycling solar and battery products, emphasizing the potential for reuse and the development of a robust recycling ecosystem.

Session XXII: Keynote: Reclaiming our Humanity in the Age of AI and Automation With Nathalie Nahai

Exploring the intricate relationship between technology and humanity, noted author and expert in psychology, Nathalie Nahai shed light on a path where AI acts as a supportive co-pilot, enhancing human capabilities rather than overshadowing them. She emphasized the importance of viewing each data point as a unique entity yearning for connection and meaning.

The session delved into the ethical complexities of AI development, addressing issues such as intellectual property rights, misinformation, and the risks associated with AI 'hallucinations'. By contrasting the distinct skills and qualities of AI and humans, Nathalie advocated for a future where tech reflects the best of human values, supported by careful oversight and a deep respect for ethical principles.

Session XXIII: Closing Session: Staying Current: Navigating Generational Shifts With Anil Kapoor

In the closing session, Indian actor Anil Kapoor, alongside Vasanthi Hariprakash , of PickleJar, shared insights on navigating generational shifts with enduring relevance. Drawing parallels between his ‘jhakaas’ persona and the evolving nature of AI, Kapoor emphasized adaptability, self-awareness, and balanced confidence as the key to staying current.

He highlighted the importance of adapting without compromising one's essence, a strategy crucial in both Bollywood and the tech world. Kapoor stressed the collaboration between technology and human touch in creative industries, emphasizing that while AI enhances storytelling, the essence of creativity remains inherently human.

As the event ended on an exhilarating note, we reflect on the wealth of insights, hyper networking, and innovative ideas that have helped several businesses #FindGrowth for the past 30+ years.

We look forward to reconnecting at #NTLF2025 with fresh perspectives, new minds, and cutting-edge technology. Save the dates: February 20-21, 2025

See you there! Keep #ShapingTheTechade