AI DOOMERISM HAS QUIETENED DOWN: INFOSYS CHAIRMAN NILEKANI

BENGALURU: Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani has dismissed the possibility of a single dominant GenAI model overshadowing others, even as a new generation of AI applications and services emerges.

Speaking at the company's 43rd annual general meeting, held virtually on Wednesday, Nilekani said, "As we look at the larger business environment, we are now into the second year of the GenAI revolution, and the initial AI doomerism has quietened down. People have accepted that, like any other general-purpose technology - be it electricity, nuclear energy, the internet, or even a discovery like fire - GenAI has enormous potential for good when advanced within the guardrails of responsibility. It is also clear that there won't be a scenario where we'll have 'one model to rule them all'."

According to Nilekani, the emergence of robust open-source AI models has accelerated the application of AI to address complex business and societal issues. "As we move into more use cases, a thousand flowers will bloom."

Nilekani highlighted the distinct adoption curves of consumer AI and enterprise AI. "It is also widely expected that the manifestations of consumer AI will make life easier and more productive for millions of people. It will push the envelope of usability, convenience, and accessibility for all." In contrast, he noted that enterprise AI is significantly more intricate, necessitating a comprehensive overhaul of the multi-generational technology within organisations. Nilekani said enterprise AI is a lot more complex. It will require a root and branch surgery of the multi-generation technology that lies within firms. The challenge will also be to orchestrate the extensive data inside the corporation in a way that it is consumable by AI. The quality of output will need to be managed to ensure factual responses and insights with no hallucinations."

Despite the challenges, Nilekani acknowledged that AI is still in its early stages, and widespread enterprise adoption will require time. Infosys is currently engaged in 225 GenAI projects for clients seeking to enhance productivity. "From our own early journey to becoming an AI-first enterprise, we know that navigating to value-at-scale from AI means breaking down tasks into sequential small wins, taking the 'responsible by design' approach. This has been our AI-first strategy for accelerating business value and amplifying human potential. Nearly 50,000 reusable intelligent services, applied in over 25,000 instances, amplify our employees today. We are one of the first organisations globally to be certified in ISO 42001:2023 for AI management systems for risk management and governance of enterprise AI." Infosys has integrated GenAI components into all its service lines and developed 25 playbooks to create an impact for its clients.