Keynote – Roshni Nadar Malhotra
Summary
Malhotra described AI as the “invisible hum” reshaping society. She argued that knowledge is now programmable, and competitive advantage lies in AI fluency across all levels of an organization.
Three strategic thrusts for HCL Tech:
- AI‑first product portfolio – AI‑infused software, intelligent agents, and AI‑native services.
- Talent pipeline – 226 000 employees (average age 26) continuously reskilled via HCL’s AI Academy.
- National AI infrastructure – Advocacy for a public compute platform to democratize AI experimentation.
Malhotra highlighted HCL’s AI‑factory delivering custom AI solutions for finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, and a government partnership to embed AI in public services. She stressed human‑centric AI: AI should augment creativity, judgment, and empathy, not replace them.
Key Takeaways
- AI as knowledge commoditisation: Competitive edge comes from AI fluency, not raw compute.
- Massive upskilling: 226 k employees being reskilled; AI Academy drives continuous learning.
- Public compute platform: Essential for democratizing AI development across India.
- Human‑centric AI: Technology should amplify human creativity and empathy.
- Industry‑government collaboration: Joint AI initiatives accelerate public‑service impact.