Industry leaders at the forefront of this technological shift offer unique insights into Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) current applications and future potential. Their perspectives highlight both the remarkable achievements and the complex challenges that come with integrating AI into various sectors. As AI continues to evolve, its influence on our professional and personal lives grows, promising further advancements in addressing global issues and enhancing human capabilities.
Revolutionizing Healthcare
The healthcare industry has been one of the most significant beneficiaries of AI advancements. Bhomit Bhandari, Solutions Lead for Gaming & XR at Ascendion, expresses his awe at the transformative power of AI in medicine: “The fusion of AI with healthcare is nothing short of revolutionary. It’s awe-inspiring to witness how language and vision AI are transforming medical diagnostics and treatment planning, ushering in an era of truly personalized care. The potential of AI to accelerate drug discovery and combat deadly diseases like cancer fills me with hope for a better future.”
However, the integration of AI in healthcare comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. Enbasekar D, Co-founder & CTO of MediBuddy, emphasizes the need for strategic investment and ethical considerations: “To harness AI’s transformative potential, we must invest strategically in both cutting-edge infrastructure and continuous talent development. However, technology alone is not enough. We must ensure that AI-powered healthcare solutions are accessible and affordable for all, bridging gaps in care delivery rather than magnifying existing inequalities.”
Enbasekar further stresses the importance of a human-centric approach: “The promise of AI in healthcare is immense, but its realisation depends on our ability to integrate it thoughtfully into existing systems. By keeping human needs and values at the forefront, establishing robust governance frameworks, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, we can create a healthcare ecosystem that leverages AI to enhance, rather than replace, the human touch in medicine.”
Nurturing AI Talent
The rapid growth of AI has led to an increased demand for skilled professionals in the field. Biswajit Biswas, Chief Data Scientist at Tata Elxsi, highlights India’s proactive approach to AI education: “India, with its rich talent pool and forward-thinking curriculum, has embraced AI wholeheartedly. Our engineering courses now universally include AI, ensuring a steady stream of skilled professionals ready to contribute. This helps us to reduce the onboarding time and put them into live projects.”
Envisioning the Future
As AI continues to evolve, its potential applications seem boundless. Noopur Julka, Senior Director at UST, paints an optimistic picture of AI’s future impact: “Looking ahead, the next decade promises even greater advancements with AI unlocking new frontiers in creativity, scientific discovery, and sustainable living. Envision a world where AI-driven climate models predict and mitigate natural disasters alongside AI-supported agricultural mechanisms, that could maximize crop yield with minimal environmental impact. These potential discoveries in the future can save countless lives and resources in the future.”
Enhancing Cybersecurity
In the cybersecurity domain, AI has become an indispensable tool. Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India & SAARC at Trend Micro, reflects on their long-standing integration of AI: “At Trend Micro, we have long recognized the value of integrating human intelligence with AI. For two decades, this synergy has strengthened our cybersecurity solutions, ensuring a balanced and responsible approach to AI that fosters trust and promotes holistic growth. As we move forward, it’s vital to engage in meaningful dialogues not only about harnessing AI’s benefits but also about addressing its ethical implications.”
Marian Radu, Senior Director of Generative AI at CrowdStrike, elaborates on AI’s role in combating cyber threats: “With attacker breakout times now measured in minutes, AI has emerged as a great equalizer in cybersecurity, equipping teams with a much-needed speed advantage to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats. AI-native cybersecurity can rapidly surface hidden threats, accelerate the decision making of less experienced security analysts and simplify a multitude of complex tasks.”
Radu also highlights CrowdStrike’s innovations in AI-powered cybersecurity: “At CrowdStrike, we’ve been at the forefront of AI innovation in cybersecurity from the beginning. We pioneered the shift from signature-based antivirus to ML-based protection, and introduced AI-Powered Indicators of Attack, a fundamentally new approach to stopping breaches combining the analysis of adversary behaviour with the power of cloud AI. Our latest innovation, Charlotte AI, is a purpose-built generative AI security assistant that enables users to ask questions in plain language about their security environment.”
Improving User Experience
AI is also playing a crucial role in enhancing user experiences across various technologies. Khadim Batti, Co-Founder & CEO of Whatfix, discusses the concept of “Userization”: “Today, AI plays a critical role in accelerating the Userization of software—making technology user-savvy rather than expecting users to be tech-savvy—the inevitable future of technology. At Whatfix, we’ve been at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging AI for years. Our numerous patents attest to our use of ML to enhance user experiences, leading to smoother interactions with technology and improved productivity for businesses.”
However, as we marvel at these advancements, we must also heed the words of our industry leaders who remind us of the importance of ethical considerations, strategic investments, and maintaining a human-centric approach. The future of AI is bright, but it requires careful navigation to ensure that its benefits are accessible to all and that it serves to enhance, rather than replace, human capabilities.
