Bengaluru, Jan 27: ACSEL Technology Forum, an AI Centre of Excellence under the aegis of the IIT Alumni Centre, Bengaluru (IITACB) and supported by the Government of Karnataka, successfully concluded its first International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, aptly titled Reimagining AI, a two-day global gathering with experts from India and abroad. The conference brought together technologists, policymakers, industry leaders, and academicians to examine how AI is reshaping India’s economy, workforce, healthcare, education, and governance landscape and deliberated on the future course of action.
The panel discussions focused on AI’s dual impact, driving productivity and innovation while also posing challenges related to job transitions, ethical governance, data privacy, and social equity. The conference did some crystal gazing for the Road Ahead.
The event saw a stellar line-up of industry stalwarts, that included Shri. Babasaheb Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman and Founder, Narayana Health & Distinguished Honorary Member, IIT Alumni Centre, Bengaluru (IITACB), Dr Edward Jung, Co-Founder Intellectual Ventures and Dr. Ajay Mathur, former DG International Solar Alliance. The speakers highlighted the need for India to proactively manage AI-led automation through reskilling, inclusive policy frameworks, and a strong emphasis on human-centric AI adoption.
Healthcare, Climate and education emerged as key sectors where AI can significantly improve access, climate modelling, personalisation, and outcomes, provided ethical guardrails and transparent governance mechanisms are in place. Participants underscored the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach involving government, industry, academia, and civil society to ensure responsible and equitable AI development.
Dr. N. Manjula, IAS, Secretary Mistry of IT/BT, Government of Karnataka mentioned that “AI is a critical technology that will be key to our success in the years to come. Karnataka is home to a galaxy of companies that are focusing on AI and the state government has made significant investments in this area – the support given to the IIT Alumni Centre, Bengaluru (IITACB) is a striking example. An International Conference of this nature will add to our goal of creating a strong and inclusive framework for the use of AI.”
Commenting on the conference, Ashok Misra, President, IITACB and Director ACSEL Technology Forum, said, “As India accelerates its AI journey, it is critical that innovation is guided by strong ethical frameworks and a pro-human approach. Platforms like this conference are essential to align technology, policy, and society, ensuring that AI augments human potential, creates meaningful opportunities, and contributes to inclusive national growth. IIT Alumni have taken made significant contribution to this initiative”
Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, KDEM said, “India’s AI journey has reached a defining moment. The conversation has clearly moved from whether AI will deliver impact to how it can be deployed responsibly, at scale and with speed. With over 91% of enterprise leaders prioritising deployment velocity, nearly half of organisations already running multiple GenAI use cases in production, and more than half of India-based Global Capability Centres investing in Agentic AI, AI is rapidly becoming core economic infrastructure. As systems evolve from assistive to autonomous, the imperative is to ensure human-centric adoption,where governance, transparency and continuous skilling advance alongside innovation.
For Karnataka, this transition is being anchored through a cluster-led talent and innovation strategy, not a single-city model. Beyond Bengaluru regions currently contribute 2–3% of the state’s digital economy, with a clear target of 10% by 2030, supported by strong regional talent pools, 35,000+ graduates annually, and a 25–30% cost advantage over metro hubs. Over the last four years alone, these clusters have enabled 9,000+ new technology jobs across Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi–Dharwad–Belagavi, demonstrating that decentralised innovation is both scalable and sustainable.”
The inaugural conference reinforced ACSEL Technology Forum’s commitment to fostering informed, inclusive, and forward-looking conversations on emerging technologies. By bringing together diverse perspectives from across sectors and geographies, the forum aims to contribute meaningfully to shaping a future where AI innovation is aligned with societal good.