Introduction
Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly gaining traction in India and is embraced by enterprises across various sectors and a growing number of GenAI-based SaaS startups. Supported by proactive government policies, the landscape includes major IT and software giants like TCS, Infosys, IBM, and Salesforce, diving into the GenAI wave. Globally, GenAI investments soared to over $12 billion in FY23, with Indian startups securing $590 million in the same period.
Indian enterprises increasingly recognize GenAI’s potential, with 63% of executives considering it crucial for sustainability efforts and 76% planning to boost investments in this technology. Collaborative efforts among industry leaders are accelerating GenAI adoption and operational efficiencies. Startups like Vodex, MachineHack, and Nocturnal are revolutionizing customer support, sales, and healthcare sectors. This article highlights the top 13 Indian GenAI leaders setting benchmarks in AI application, research, and development, driving ethical and impactful deployment worldwide.
Table of Contents
Rohini Srivathsa
Rohini Srivathsa, an expert veteran in technology, is abundant with knowledge in innovation, digital transformation, and strategic investment. She obtained a doctorate in computer engineering and has worked closely in the IT industry for several years in various senior positions.
At Microsoft, Rohini Srivathsa oversees investments in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence to foster creativity and strategic expansion. She recognizes and supports startups and projects that align with Microsoft’s vision.
Rohini Srivathsa is crucial in advancing genAI through AI research and development investments. She backs projects that promote the advancement of AI technologies, allowing Microsoft to incorporate AI features in its products and services, ultimately improving their effectiveness and influence.
Anand C
Anand Chandrasekaran is an Indian entrepreneur and business executive. He was the former Chief Product officer of Snapdeal and Airtel. Chandrasekaran earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications Engineering from PSG College of Technology and his master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Anand is the Founder and President of Crescendo, an AI-first contact center business co-created and backed by General Catalyst (GC). Anand C has helped advise organizations on AI strategy, implementation, and scaling, making valuable contributions to genAI. He assists customers in grasping AI’s potential, building AI skills, and incorporating AI into their processes to enhance business value and spur innovation.
Shailendra Kumar
Shailendra Kumar, an Indian GenAI leader, is the Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence at NEOM Hotels. He has engineering experience and has held multiple leadership positions in technology-focused logistics firms.
He has helped design and architect a scalable and robust data infrastructure leveraging cutting-edge technologies to support the immersive guest experience for The Line at NEOM. Furthermore, he helps execute and orchestrate advanced Artificial Intelligence processes, harnessing machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and deep learning models to drive innovation and operational efficiency at NEOM.
Arvind Krishna
Arvind Krishna is a prominent technology executive and the CEO of International Business Machines Corporation. He has been with IBM for over thirty years, holding multiple executive positions and overseeing the company’s strategic planning. He received his M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.
As the IBM CEO, Arvind Krishna is responsible for overall business management, focusing on innovations, strategic development, and technology leadership. He has also specialized in increasing IBM’s capacity in AI, clIBM, and quantum computations.
Depending on his work for IBM, Arvind Krishna has tremendously affected generative artificial intelligence as the head of the company’s AI technology company’s development department. He has transformed the IT giant IBM to develop and deploy AI products like IBM Watson for data analyses in the NL and PA industries. They share his management and guidance for the firm. Most of all, it has helped IBM to remain an AWOG among firms conducting and implementing research in artificial intelligence.
Debjani Ghosh
Debjani Ghosh, an Indian GenAI leader, is an esteemed technology executive and the President of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). Moreover, she is also a Distinguished Fellow at Niti Aayog. She currently serves as an executive officer in Intel and other prestigious firms and has the required knowledge in technology and information technology.
Debjani Ghosh, the current president of NASSCOM, supports the development and growth of India’s technology and IT service Industry. She supports global counterparts, public bodies, and market players to drive innovation and digitalization.
Debjani Ghosh has greatly aided India’s use of AI. She has helped initiatives that develop AI expertise, advance AI research, and create a strong atmosphere fostering AI creativity. She has initiated programs and formed partnerships via NASSCOM to speed up the implementation of AI solutions in different industries, thus enhancing the overall AI environment.
Ashwini Asokan
Ashwini Asokan, one of the top Indian GenAI leaders, is the CEO and Founder of Mad Street Den and Vue.ai. She has worked for Intel and other technological companies, and her work area is cutting across design and technology.
Ashwini Asokan is changing the future of industries with AI solutions that span entertainment, healthcare, and retail. She is focused on bringing value-added inventions and advancements in fields that popularize and expand the application of AI.
By creating AI platforms like Vue.ai, which uses computer vision and machine learning to enhance the retail business, Ashwini Asokan has significantly advanced genAI. Her work has democratized AI, increasing its use and benefits for companies of all sizes. She strongly supports the development of ethical AI and inclusive technology.
Amit Prakash
Amit Prakash is the co-founder and CTO of ThoughtSpot, which focuses on creating AI-driven analytics and business intelligence platforms. He has extensive experience in building large-scale data systems and AI technologies.
Before co-founding ThoughtSpot, Amit worked at Google and Microsoft, contributing to significant projects like Google’s AdSense and AdWords. His expertise lies in the intersection of AI, data, and scalable systems, which has been instrumental in ThoughtSpot’s development and success.
Sharath Keshava Narayana
Sharath Keshava Narayana is the co-founder and COO of Sanas.AI, a company specializing in real-time accent translation technology. He brings over 20 years of experience in enterprise software sales and AI, and is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor.
Before Sanas, Sharath co-founded Observe.AI, a company focused on enhancing contact center operations through AI. He served as the Chief Revenue Officer and played a crucial role in its growth to unicorn status in under five years. He is also involved with Carya Venture Partners, which invests in innovative tech startups.
Swapnil Jain
Swapnil Jain, one of the top Indian GenAI leaders, is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Ather Energy, an Indian company specializing in electric vehicles (EVs), particularly smart electric scooters. He co-founded Ather Energy in 2013 along with Tarun Mehta, motivated by the vision to create an intelligent electric vehicle ecosystem in India.
Swapnil holds a degree in Engineering Design from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. His background includes significant work in automotive and electronic system design. Before starting Ather Energy, he gained valuable experience working with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and General Motors, where he developed an understanding of automotive production and systems.
Ather Energy is known for its innovative approach to electric vehicles. Their flagship products, such as the Ather 450 and 450X, are equipped with advanced features, including cloud connectivity, real-time diagnostics, and a robust public charging network called Ather Grid. These scooters are designed to focus on user experience, integrating data to enhance performance and battery life. The company has also emphasized building an EV ecosystem, including developing proprietary technologies for battery management and charging infrastructure.
Bhavish Aggarwal
Bhavish Aggarwal is one of the top Indian GenAI leaders. He is an innovative entrepreneur in the Indian transportation business who has created a new concept in this field. As one of the founders of Ola Cabs, the largest ride-hailing company in India, he has initiated a shift in the perception of how urban transportation will pan out in India.
In its capacity as Ola Cabs Chief Executive Officer, Bhavish Aggarwal is responsible for ensuring safe, economical, and feasible means of transportation. Apart from directly supervising the company’s affairs, he heads creativity and the search for new business opportunities.
The area in which Bhavish Aggarwal has left his mark is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to boost the ride-hailing services offered by Ola. Some of them are route optimization, predictive maintenance, dynamic price, AI customization, and Analyses of the clients.
Aakanksha Chowdhery
Outstanding research scientist Aakanksha Chowdhery focuses on AI application development and machine learning. She has been employed as a research scientist in artificial intelligence at Meta and Google DeepMind and has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
At Google DeepMind, Aakanksha Chowdhery worked in machine learning and artificial intelligence. She contributed key research in original models and algorithms that helped progress the frontier of AI’s possibilities.
Aakanksha Chowdhery has been working on GenAI and newer developments, which include deep learning, reinforcement learning, and neural networks. Her contribution to the subject is increasing the intelligence and capacity of AI systems to tackle challenging challenges, which advances AI research and application breakthroughs.
Vishal Virani
Vishal Virani is the co-founder and CEO of DhiWise, a platform designed to automate the programming lifecycle by generating production-ready source code. With a background in engineering and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Vishal and his college friend Rahul Shingala started an IT consulting firm that grew to a team of 150 developers. This experience highlighted the inefficiencies in repetitive front-end development tasks, leading them to create DhiWise.
DhiWise aims to streamline the development process, making it faster and more efficient for developers. Under Vishal’s leadership, the platform has garnered significant attention and accolades, including the prestigious Golden Kitty Award from Product Hunt. The company, headquartered in Surat, India, has successfully raised funding and quickly attracted thousands of beta users.
Vishal’s journey with DhiWise reflects his commitment to solving real-world problems for developers. Furthermore, it showcases his ability to transition from managing a service consultancy to leading a product-focused company. His vision is to revolutionize programming, saving developers time and increasing productivity.
Anima Anandkumar
Amina Anandkumar is a Bren professor at Caltech and serves as a Senior Director of AI Research at NVIDIA. She was previously a Principal Scientist at Amazon Web Services as well. Anandkumar holds degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Cornell University and is a fellow of ACM, IEEE, and the Alfred P. Solan Foundation.
She is an influencer with over 150k followers and shares updates on large-scale machine learning, non-convex optimization, and high-dimensional statistics. Her work in developing novel artificial intelligence has accelerated AI’s scientific applications, including scientific simulations, weather forecasting, and drug design. Her HPC-based COVID-19 Research was recognized at NeurIPS and was awarded the ACM Gordon Bell Special Prize.
Conclusion
The impressive skills and creativity of the top 15 Indian GenAI leaders highlight India’s strong presence in AI. Their efforts push the limits of AI technology and showcase its ability to address actual issues and enhance quality of life. Continuing to innovate in AI research and application, these leaders are establishing a worldwide standard for excellence and influence. The hard work of Indian GenAI leaders has laid the foundation for a future in which AI is smoothly incorporated into all our lives. Thus advancing and promoting a more intelligent, interconnected world.
Yana Khare
30 Jul, 2024
A 23-year-old, pursuing her Master's in English, an avid reader, and a melophile. My all-time favorite quote is by Albus Dumbledore - "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light."
