VMPL
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 5: More than 250 CIOs, technology leaders, global AI experts and business executives gathered at the 27th ET Edge CIO&Leader Annual Conference to discuss how Indian enterprises can transition from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale execution. Held under the theme "The Agentic Enterprise," the conference highlighted how trusted data, robust governance, secure infrastructure and responsible AI adoption will define the success of autonomous enterprises.
The conference also witnessed the launch of the State of AI in Indian Enterprises 2026 research report, the 8th CIO&Leader Samman, and the 17th NEXT100 Awards, celebrating technology leadership and the next generation of enterprise technology leaders.
The three-day conference featured over 40 keynote addresses, fireside conversations, panel discussions and leadership sessions spanning AI governance, cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, customer experience, workforce transformation, legal frameworks and AI-native business models. Technology leaders across industries shared practical insights on deploying AI at scale and navigating the opportunities and challenges shaping the next era of enterprise technology.
"The enterprise AI journey has entered a decisive phase -- moving from experimentation to execution. As agentic AI reshapes how organisations operate, leaders must focus not only on innovation but also on trust, governance and measurable business outcomes. The 27th Annual ET Edge CIO&Leader Conference provides a platform for technology leaders to exchange experiences, address real-world challenges and shape the roadmap for the next generation of intelligent enterprises."
-- Sunita Quadros, COO, ET Edge, The Times Group
Commenting on the conference, Sachin Mhashilkar, Senior Director & Conference Head, ET Edge CIO&Leader, said:
"The conversations during the conference made one thing abundantly clear -- Indian enterprises have moved beyond asking whether to adopt AI. The real challenge now is executing AI at scale while balancing trust, governance, economics and measurable business outcomes. CIOs are no longer simply technology leaders; they are becoming architects of autonomous enterprises.
I would like to thank our partners for their continued trust and collaboration, our CIO delegates for their valuable participation, and the technology leaders recognised through the CIO&Leader Samman and NEXT100 Awards for their contribution to shaping the future of enterprise technology."
A key highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the State of AI in Indian Enterprises 2026, ET Edge CIO&Leader's latest research report. Authored by R. Giridhar, Editorial Director, Technology, ET Edge, and Jatinder Singh, Chief Editor, Enterprise Tech Publications, ET Edge, the report examined the evolving AI landscape across Indian enterprises and highlighted the growing focus on governance, data readiness, ROI measurement and scaling AI deployments.
"The findings of the State of AI in Indian Enterprises 2026 report reflect a defining moment in the AI journey of Indian enterprises. While organizations are accelerating investments and moving towards broader AI adoption, the ability to deliver measurable outcomes will depend on strengthening data foundations, governance frameworks, ROI measurement practices and enterprise readiness. The next phase of AI will not be defined by experimentation alone, but by how effectively organizations can scale AI responsibly and translate innovation into business value."
-- R. Giridhar, Editorial Director, Technology, ET Edge, and Jatinder Singh, Chief Editor, Enterprise Tech Publications, ET Edge
Across sessions, leaders agreed that the focus has shifted from whether enterprises should adopt AI to how they can operationalise it responsibly and at scale. Discussions highlighted the evolution from large language models and AI copilots to Agentic AI systems capable of reasoning, planning, orchestrating workflows and taking autonomous actions within defined boundaries.
Global AI authority Prof. Toby Walsh, Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of AI at the University of Sydney, outlined the safeguards required for autonomous enterprises, including least-privilege access, human oversight, sandboxing and kill switches. He emphasized that responsible innovation will be critical as AI systems become increasingly embedded into business operations.
A marquee session featured Rahul Dravid, former captain and head coach of the Indian cricket team, in a fireside conversation titled "The Captain-Coach Continuum: From Contributor to Force Multiplier." Drawing parallels between elite sport and enterprise leadership, Dravid highlighted resilience, consistency, preparation and mastering fundamentals as essential lessons for leaders navigating transformation.
Leadership and human judgment remained recurring themes throughout the conference. Sessions featuring Harish Bhat, Former Brand Custodian, Tata Sons and bestselling author; Jim Sarbh, acclaimed film and theatre actor; Dr. Pavan Duggal, Supreme Court Advocate and Cyber Law Expert; and Dr. Murthy Remilla, Former Head - Project Management, Human Spaceflight Group, U R Rao Satellite Centre (ISRO) explored how trust, resilience and human capability will become increasingly important in an autonomous enterprise landscape.
The conference featured enterprise AI case studies and strategic perspectives from leaders representing AMD, Tata Group, HDFC Bank, Oracle, ServiceNow, Tata Communications, Godrej Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Birlasoft, Hinduja Group, Air India, CareEdge, SBI Mutual Fund, Varroc, Exide Industries, Fiat India and KPMG, among others.
A recurring theme was that data -- not models alone -- will determine enterprise AI success. Leaders emphasized that connected, governed and trusted data foundations are essential for organizations seeking meaningful outcomes from autonomous AI systems. Governance was positioned as an enabler of responsible innovation rather than a constraint.
The conference also examined the emerging Inference Economy, exploring AI infrastructure, compute architectures, AI-native cloud platforms, token economics and sovereign AI strategies. Speakers highlighted the need to balance performance, economics, compliance, security and sovereignty while building future-ready AI ecosystems.
Legal governance was another key focus area, with experts including Dr. Pavan Duggal, Supreme Court Advocate and Cyber Law Expert, and Supratim Chakraborty, Partner, Khaitan & Co and Privacy & Data Protection Expert, examining liability in autonomous decision-making, evolving AI regulations and the implications of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act for Agentic AI deployments.
Celebrating Technology Leadership
The conference also recognised technology excellence through the 8th CIO&Leader Samman, one of India's respected peer recognitions for technology leadership. This year's honourees -- Dr. Avadhut Parab, Chief Information Officer, Waaree Group; Dheeraj Sinha, EVP & Global CIO, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries; Jayakumar N., Head - IT, Joyalukkas India; and Kishore Hirani, President & Chief Digital and Information Officer, Amara Raja Group -- were recognised for their contributions to enterprise technology and digital transformation.
The conference also celebrated the 17th NEXT100 Awards, an initiative by IT Next and ET Edge that recognises emerging technology leaders and future CIOs.
As enterprises accelerate toward an AI-native future, the 27th ET Edge CIO&Leader Annual Conference reinforced a defining conclusion: the era of AI experimentation is giving way to enterprise execution. Success in the Agentic era will be measured not by the number of pilots launched, but by the ability to build trusted, governed and intelligent enterprises that consistently deliver measurable business value.
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