Now Loading

Month: June 2025

Trending

OpenAI and Google Forge Unlikely Cloud Alliance Amid AI Compute Crunch

Observenow Desk June 11, 2025

In a striking twist in the intensifying AI landscape, OpenAI and Google have reached a strategic agreement allowing OpenAI to tap into Google Cloud’s infrastructure for expanded computing capacity. Despite being fierce rivals in the generative AI space—with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini battling for dominance—both companies appear to be aligning resources to address a shared challenge: surging demand for large-scale AI compute.

According to people familiar with the matter, the deal was finalized in May 2025 after several months of negotiations. Under the agreement, Google will supply OpenAI with additional high-performance computers—complementing existing infrastructure provided by Microsoft Azure and the so-called “Stargate” initiative with Oracle and SoftBank. As one source put it, the primary catalyst for the deal is the ever-growing need for GPU and TPU resources to train and run advanced models like GPT-4 and soon GPT-5.

The collaboration marks a significant departure from OpenAI’s previous cloud strategy. Since 2019, Microsoft held exclusive cloud-provider status, hosting OpenAI’s massive model-training workloads. However, earlier this year, Microsoft opened up the framework, granting Right of First Refusal—clearing the way for OpenAI to diversify its compute sources .

From Google’s perspective, hosting OpenAI presents both strategic and financial opportunity. Google Cloud, which generated roughly $43 billion in 2024 revenue, is actively promoting its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and positioning itself as a neutral yet AI-optimized infrastructure provider. As market analysts note, this opens new avenues beyond internal AI tooling and historic partnerships, drawing in major clients like Apple, Anthropic, and now, even OpenAI.

Financial markets reacted swiftly. Alphabet’s shares rose about 2 percent following news of the agreement, while Microsoft’s stock saw a modest dip—around 0.6 percent—on shifting investor expectations .

Observers say the deal reflects how AI monopolizes one key resource: compute. Experts at Scotiabank described the partnership as “somewhat surprising” but applauded it as a clear signal of big players prioritizing infrastructure provisioning over turf wars. It underscores a broader industry trend, as startups and AI labs increasingly spread workloads across multiple cloud vendors to secure greater scalability and resilience.

That said, technical and strategic challenges lie ahead. Google’s own cloud unit has faced capacity pressures—Alphabet CFO Anat Ashkenazi acknowledged that demand already outstrips available supply. Deploying capacity for OpenAI might require careful balance, potentially affecting internal projects like DeepMind and Gemini, along with other Google Cloud customers.

Meanwhile, OpenAI isn’t resting on this partnership. It continues efforts via options like its Stargate data center program, a mammoth $500 billion-capacity initiative involving Oracle and SoftBank, and its $11.9 billion CoreWeave cloud agreement. Coupled with its ambition to develop in-house AI chips to reduce reliance on external GPU vendors, OpenAI is clearly pursuing a diversified, long-term strategy.

As the AI arms race escalates, this cooperative move underlines the paradox at the heart of the industry: fierce competition can coexist with cooperative utility, especially when compute capacity is a bottleneck.

By tapping Google Cloud, OpenAI safeguards against over-reliance on a single provider, while Google leverages the collaboration to boost its cloud credentials. Both stand to gain—computationally and commercially—even as they vie for AI supremacy.

Tags: GoogleOpenAI

Related posts

Technology

Adobe Rolls Out Advanced AI Agent Capabilities in Experience Platform

Observenow Desk

Adobe has significantly upgraded its Experience Platform, introducing two new AI agents, Product Support Agent and Data Insights Agent as part of a broader expansion of agentic AI offerings. These agents, the first globally available via Adobe’s Agent Orchestrator infrastructure, mark a pivotal enhancement in how marketers and customer experience professionals manage and leverage complex workflows.

The newly launched Product Support Agent is designed to streamline troubleshooting and customer support within the Adobe Experience Platform environment. Users can pose queries directly to the AI Assistant. The agent then draws from a trusted range of sources—including Adobe’s support articles, tutorials, and legal documentation—to offer instant guidance.

When issues prove too intricate, this AI handles the heavy lifting by collecting session details, metadata, and diagnostic logs, auto-populating support cases for quick review. It also delivers real-time status updates and alerts users to changes in ticket priority, facilitating timely resolution.

Meanwhile, the Data Insights Agent brings powerful analytics features to Customer Journey Analytics. Users can make natural language queries, to which the agent responds with dynamic visualizations—configurable through an interactive interface. Such insights enable marketers and analysts to explore, iterate, and derive actionable conclusions rapidly.

Both agents operate on the foundation of Adobe’s Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator—a central hub for the creation, management, and orchestration of AI agents across Adobe and third-party ecosystems. The Orchestrator leverages semantic understanding of enterprise data, content flows, and customer journeys, enabling sophisticated orchestration capabilities like multi-agent collaboration and dynamic decision-making through language models.

These integrated capabilities highlight a shift toward “agentic AI”—systems that not only understand intent but also act upon it within human-supervised workflows. Adobe emphasizes that this agentic approach enhances the work of marketing and creative teams without replacing human expertise.

These two agents mark the start of a planned wave of purpose-built tools. Previously, Adobe announced a suite of ten AI agents—such as audience segmentation, content production, site optimization, data engineering, and more—designed to work within AEP’s ecosystem, extending over other enterprise applications like Adobe Experience Manager, Journey Optimizer, and Real-Time CDP. 

Additionally, Adobe introduced Brand Concierge, an agent-centric solution to craft immersive brand interactions by combining customer data with rich conversational experiences. Collaboration with strategic partners—Acxiom, AWS, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, ServiceNow, and others—is intended to ensure these AI agents work seamlessly across entire organizational tech stacks

According to Adobe, more than one trillion personalized experiences are activated annually through the Experience Platform—demonstrating the scale and mission-critical role of the system. It now seeks to elevate this by layering agentic functionality into operational workflows, simplifying complex, time-consuming tasks like debugging issues, building segments, producing content, and analyzing customer journeys. Adobe positions these AI agents not as replacements but as productivity catalysts—freeing up human talent to focus on creativity, ideation, and strategy, while AI handles repetitive or data-intensive tasks.

Anjul Bhambhri, Senior VP of Engineering at Adobe Experience Cloud, described agentic AI as “a major leap forward” that would accelerate workplace transformation, offering productivity gains while maintaining human creative control. Looking ahead, Adobe plans to introduce more specialized agents tailored for UX optimization, B2B account orchestration, journey planning, experimentation, and more, many of which were previewed during the recent Summit. The Brand Concierge and Orchestrator are expected to evolve continually as new agents are rolled out.

By embedding intelligent, autonomous agents within its Experience Platform, Adobe is bridging the gap between generative AI and action-oriented automation. The Product Support and Data Insights agents lay the foundation—targeting diagnostics and analytics, respectively—while a broader ecosystem of agents promises enhanced personalization, operational scale, and customer-centric innovation. This marks an important step in Adobe’s commitment to agentic AI: championing technology that collaborates with human teams to elevate outcomes, not supplant them.

Tags: Adobe

Related posts

Technology

Google Cloud CTO Urges Job Seekers to Blend Core Skills with AI Know‑How in New Era

Observenow Desk

As artificial intelligence transforms the job landscape, Google Cloud’s chief technology officer is advising job seekers to update their approach—without abandoning foundational skills. In a recent Business Insider feature, CTO Will Grannis emphasized that mastering generative AI tools should complement, not replace, essential technical and soft skill sets.

Grannis highlighted that the emergence of multimodal AI—capable of handling text, images, audio and code—has made it crucial for aspiring professionals to think across disciplines. He described multimodality as the “new standard,” enabling more intuitive, cross‑channel interactions, and noted that developers and teams must adapt to this evolving reality.

While AI promises new opportunities, Grannis cautioned that its effectiveness relies on human oversight. He stressed that, as of January 2025, “humans [are] writing the prompts, defining reasoning flows, putting guardrails … supplying the policies and KPIs that will determine the success or failure of AI projects”. As a result, proficiency in prompt design, policy implementation and reasoning remains in high demand.

Grannis also underscored that traditional foundations—such as coding, systems architecture, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity—remain indispensable. He advised job seekers to build on their established expertise while layering in AI fluency. For example, understanding cloud-native tools and data pipelines ensures they can design AI solutions that scale and align with enterprise operations .

Emphasizing lifelong learning, Grannis recommended that candidates engage with AI platforms—exploring frameworks like Gemini, Vertex AI and advanced language models—alongside pursuing role‑specific certifications. He acknowledged that many professionals may not possess depth in computer science or cloud engineering but encouraged them to leverage hands-on labs and certifications to build credibility.

Soft skills, Grannis suggested, are becoming increasingly vital. Effective collaboration between AI systems and human teams depends on communication, critical thinking and the ability to contextualize AI outputs. Google’s CTO noted that problem‑solving, ethical reasoning and business awareness are as essential as technical aptitude .

To bridge the gap between aspiration and ability, Grannis praised programs like Google Cloud Innovators and skill‑badge initiatives. He recommended job seekers join communities, attend workshops and experiment with real world AI use cases—such as multimodal agents and cloud‑integrated tools—to build portfolios that showcase initiative and practical competence.

Grannis also reiterated Google Cloud’s “collaborative, practical magic” ethos: it’s not enough to focus solely on AI tools. Instead, professionals should explore how AI interconnects with related disciplines—data engineering, DevOps, security, industry‑specific workflows—and build multidisciplinary fluency.

This holistic guidance arrives at a critical juncture. As enterprises increasingly integrate generative AI into operations—from customer service to R&D, they seek technologists who understand both the breakthroughs and the boundaries of the technology. Grannis believes those who can bridge human-centered reasoning, technical execution and ethical governance will stand out.

In an era where AI is becoming “table stakes,” Google Cloud’s CTO sees the opportunity, “AI shouldn’t replace core skills, it should amplify them,” he said, urging job seekers to stay grounded in fundamentals, stay updated with AI trends, and use new tools to enhance, not obscure, their contributions.

Tags: artificial intelligenceGoogle CloudWill Grannis

Related posts

Technology

IBM Unveils Agentic AI Orchestration to Revolutionize Enterprise Productivity

Observenow Desk

IBM has taken a significant leap in enterprise automation with the introduction of its agentic AI orchestration strategy, an innovation designed to coordinate intelligent digital agents to execute complex workflows across departments. The approach integrates AI into day-to-day enterprise functions while maintaining robust human oversight, with the goal of improving productivity, reducing operational friction, and accelerating response times across critical business areas.

At the heart of this transformation is Watsonx Orchestrate, IBM’s orchestration platform that enables digital agents to perform multi-step tasks across applications. These agents are capable of responding to natural language prompts, drawing data from various systems, and completing assignments that range from scheduling meetings and processing forms to resolving IT issues. Watsonx Orchestrate operates on an open, hybrid architecture, making it compatible with both cloud and on-premise deployments. It also supports integration with external large language models, ensuring clients avoid vendor lock-in and retain architectural flexibility.

Internally, IBM has already implemented this agentic framework across over 70 use cases under its “Client Zero” initiative, using its own organization as a testing ground. The results have been substantial. Over the past two years, IBM reported productivity gains amounting to $3.5 billion. In functions such as HR and IT support, digital agents have handled up to 94% of repetitive queries, reducing human intervention drastically. For instance, HR-related inquiries now require only minimal employee involvement, while IT tickets are addressed more efficiently, leading to a 70% drop in call volume.

The orchestration layer behind Watsonx ensures that these agents function within well-defined governance structures. Built-in audit logs, fallback mechanisms, and control points—often referred to as “circuit breakers”—enable enterprises to safely manage autonomous execution. This model balances AI autonomy with operational accountability, especially when deployed in sensitive areas such as financial services, procurement, or change management in DevOps. IBM’s Helix Risk Advisor, for instance, uses AI to predict potential failures and guide system changes, reducing the risk of downtime or rollout errors.

IBM’s emphasis on agentic orchestration marks a clear departure from traditional automation approaches. Unlike narrowly focused bots or siloed AI deployments, agentic systems are designed to understand user intent, sequence actions across systems, and collaborate with both human workers and other agents. This coordinated model allows enterprises to scale AI in a manageable, modular way—optimizing outcomes while staying compliant with data policies and organizational protocols.

The strategy is also notable for its adaptability. IBM’s orchestration technology is engineered to operate within varied enterprise ecosystems, supporting industry-specific models and workflows. Organizations across healthcare, banking, telecom, and manufacturing are expected to benefit from this flexible, future-ready approach to automation.

As businesses worldwide seek to translate generative AI breakthroughs into real-world value, IBM’s agentic orchestration platform could serve as a blueprint. It offers a mature, tested framework for embedding AI into the fabric of enterprise operations—delivering not only efficiency but also reliability and trust. With AI agents now handling tasks in seconds that once took hours, the productivity edge is becoming a reality, and IBM is leading the charge into this new era of intelligent enterprise orchestration.

Tags: Agentic AIAIIBM

Related posts

HR

Dr. Anand Deshpande Reappointed as the Managing Director at Persistent Systems

Observenow Desk

Persistent Systems experienced notable gains in its stock following the announcement of Dr. Anand Deshpande’s reappointment as Managing Director. The board of Persistent Systems, in a meeting on June 9, 2020, formally approved his renewal for a five-year term ending at the conclusion of the 35th Annual General Meeting in 2025.

Dr. Deshpande’s reappointment received immediate approval at the ensuing shareholder meeting, reflecting widespread investor confidence in his leadership. Shares of Persistent Systems rallied significantly on this development, mirroring the positive sentiment among stakeholders who view stability in leadership as a cornerstone for future growth.

Dr. Deshpande, a pioneer in India’s software services sector, has served as Chairman and Managing Director since founding the company in 1990. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and Indiana University—where he earned his Ph.D.—he began his career at HP Labs in Palo Alto before returning to India to launch Persistent Systems. Under Dr. Deshpande’s leadership, Persistent Systems has evolved from a database-focused startup to a global IT solutions provider, with revenues surpassing $1 billion in FY2023 . The company expanded its portfolio to include intellectual property-led offerings, digital engineering, cloud modernization, IoT, and life sciences—strategic shifts that have positioned it at the forefront of digital innovation.

Additionally, Dr. Deshpande has successfully guided the company through multiple business cycles and strategic transitions, including separating the role of CEO—a move driven by SEBI directives—in 2019, followed by the appointment of Sandeep Kalra as CEO in 2020. This structural change allowed Dr. Deshpande to shift toward a more strategic role focused on governance and innovation.

Investor enthusiasm is also fuelled by Persistent Systems’ robust Q3 FY25 performance. The company reported 19.9% year-over-year revenue growth to US$360.2 million, marking its 19th consecutive quarter of sequential growth. Healthy momentum in key sectors was evident, with the healthcare and life sciences vertical hitting a quarterly run rate exceeding US$100 million, while banking and financial services recorded 22% growth. Balanced client diversification added to the optimism, with strong expansion across top customer segments. The top five clients saw a 31.7% year-over-year revenue increase, and the company counted 189 clients contributing more than US$1 million annually.

Beyond commercial success, Dr. Deshpande is widely recognized for his contributions to thought leadership and entrepreneurship. He has served in leadership roles within NASSCOM, ACM India, and CSI Pune, and is actively involved in academic and philanthropic initiatives—holding positions at IIT Patna, IIT Bombay, IIIT Allahabad, UIDAI, and the Persistent Foundation.

Market analysts suggest that Dr. Deshpande’s extended term provides strategic continuity, enabling Persistent Systems to build on its core strengths while pursuing long-term initiatives like strategic acquisitions, IP development, and generative AI capabilities . The company’s proactive growth direction—with investments in cyber-security, AI, and cloud capabilities—aligns with his vision of fostering internal entrepreneurial spirit and agility in a dynamic industry .

As Dr. Deshpande embarks on another five-year leadership cycle, stakeholders anticipate continued momentum in revenue, innovation, and market expansion. By maintaining leadership stability and focusing on digital transformation, Persistent Systems appears poised to sustain its upward trajectory well into the next decade.

Tags: Dr. Anand DeshpandePersistent Systems

Related posts

HR

Binita Prasad Appointed Head of IT & Digital at Schindler India

Observenow Desk June 10, 2025

Binita Prasad has taken up the role of Head – IT & Digital for Schindler Group’s India operations, marking a critical step forward in the company’s ambition to drive its digital transformation and elevate customer-centric operations through innovative technology. The announcement was made public on June 9, 2025.

With nearly 30 years of experience in leading IT frameworks across major manufacturing organisations, Prasad brings a wealth of expertise spanning IT strategy, digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and AI/ML. Her move to Schindler follows a distinguished tenure at Saint-Gobain, where she spearheaded transformational initiatives that boosted operational efficiency, enhanced customer engagement, and delivered measurable business growth.

In her new capacity, Prasad will take charge of shaping and executing Schindler India’s digital vision. Her priorities include integrating advanced technologies to improve both the customer experience and internal processes, while empowering teams with the right digital tools and competencies to navigate the evolving landscape of smart mobility. The company expects her leadership to significantly enhance operational performance across its elevator and escalator verticals, which increasingly rely on real-time data and predictive maintenance solutions such as Schindler Ahead RemoteMonitoring.

Indeed, Prasad joins Schindler at a pivotal juncture when digitalization is becoming central to the mobility sector. Schindler Ahead, the company’s flagship digital platform, provides customers with an integrated view of equipment health and performance, supports predictive maintenance, and optimises operational uptime. As India’s urban infrastructure evolves and smart buildings proliferate, the ability to harness real-time data and IoT technologies is emerging as a powerful differentiator for OEMs like Schindler.

Schindler India’s leadership, including President & CEO Nitin Chalke, has rallied around Prasad’s arrival. Chalke has reiterated the group’s commitment to digital excellence, highlighting the importance of innovative solutions to enhance customer service and operational efficiency in the local market. Prasad’s addition reinforces this strategic focus by combining her experience with Saint-Gobain’s digital successes and her deep understanding of the manufacturing landscape.

Industry analysts suggest that appointing a seasoned digital transformation leader like Prasad will help Schindler India better align with growing expectations from building owners, facility managers, and urban planners. As smart city initiatives gain momentum, expectations for real-time remote monitoring, data analytics, and mobile-enabled maintenance are increasing rapidly. These trends require strong digital leadership to integrate complex technology ecosystems into scalable and customer-friendly solutions.

Summing up her vision, Prasad said: “A truly effective CIO, regardless of gender, champions digital transformation not just as a technical upgrade but as a cultural evolution.” She added that digital progress depends not only on deploying new technology but also on fostering a culture where teams embrace change and customer-first thinking.

As she steps into this new role, expectations are high. With her proven track record in navigating large-scale IT ecosystems, driving technology-led business growth, and leading teams through digital change, Binita Prasad is well-positioned to lead Schindler India into its next era of smart mobility.

Tags: Binita PrasadSchindler India

Related posts

Trending

“AI to Replace Coders? Not Just Yet”, Says Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Observenow Desk

In the midst of growing concerns that artificial intelligence could replace developers, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has clarified in a recent interview that AI remains a tool to augment, not replace software engineers, particularly in handling complex, large-scale projects.

Speaking with Bloomberg in San Francisco in early June 2025, Pichai was asked whether AI might supplant coders entirely. His response was reassuring: “I expect we will grow from our current engineering base even into next year, because it allows us to do more”. In his words, AI functions as “an accelerator” that speeds up development cycles, enabling teams to expand and enhance product innovation, rather than reducing headcount.

At Google, Pichai noted that approximately 30 percent of its newly written code now incorporates AI-generated segments, and this has driven a roughly 10 percent increase in engineering velocity, signaling tangible productivity gains. The implication is clear: AI is lifting the ceiling on what engineering squads can deliver, paving the way for broader hiring rather than layoffs.

He acknowledged skeptics such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who recently warned of potential mass displacement of entry-level white-collar roles, but remained optimistic. Pichai commented, “I respect that… it’s important to voice those concerns and debate them,” yet underscored that, at Google, the strategy remains to harness AI to empower engineers, not displace them.

Google’s commitment to hiring even in AI’s ascendancy was further reiterated at a Bloomberg Tech conference, where Pichai affirmed plans to expand the engineering workforce through 2026. While many tech giants pursue job cuts to support AI R&D, Google is doubling down on recruiting – stating that AI makes engineers more effective, and thus more valuable.

Other industry executives echo similar sentiments. Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich recently affirmed that current AI coding tools can assist with simple tasks like prototyping and debugging, but aren’t capable of tackling complex, interlinked systems that demand architectural planning – domains where human developers continue to be essential.

Pichai’s vision aligns with broader trends: AI is lowering barriers to programming and enabling coders to focus on creative and strategic elements of software development. It’s not about replacing coders, but rather enabling them to “do more, faster”. Google’s internal coding assistant — widely reported as “Jules” — and external tools like Cursor AI exemplify this future. These systems are being leveraged internally to reduce repetitive tasks, troubleshoot bugs, and speed up the development lifecycle .

Despite ongoing industry layoffs and AI investments, Pichai remains confident in Google’s dual approach: driving AI innovation while also growing the engineering teams. He emphasized: while AI can handle “grunt work,” the most engaging and impactful components of engineering – design, architecture, problem-solving — still require human talent. The result is both a productivity boost and an expanded opportunity space for engineers.

In summary, Pichai’s position is clear, AI is a powerful enabling technology, not a replacement. It enhances engineering velocity, fosters strategic hiring, and reduces barriers to entry for new developers. The future of software development, as he sees it, is one where AI supports human creativity and expertise — making engineers more indispensable, not obsolete.

Tags: GoogleSundar Pichai

Related posts

Education

ObserveNow Wraps Up 10th Education Leaders Conclave & Awards in Chandigarh

Observenow Desk

The 10th edition of the Education Leaders Conclave & Awards (ELCA), hosted by ObserveNow in Chandigarh on June 5, 2025, concluded on a high note. Under the banner “Higher Education 4.0: The AI Revolution,” the event delivered an enriching experience for over 150 higher education leaders, policymakers, institutional heads, and industry experts. This gathering firmly cemented ELCA’s reputation as a top-tier platform for spearheading conversations around AI-led transformation in higher education.

The day’s proceedings began with an illuminating lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by keynote remarks from Ms. Taniya Tikoo, Co-founder & Editor-in-chief, ObserveNow through a video note. Ms. Tikoo stated, “It started about nine editions ago, and nine editions that have been completed in a mere timespan of one and a half years. The idea behind is to understand the changes that are taking place in the education landscape, what kind of service providers are there for education and what is the need of the hour for educational institutes to collaborate with the right kind of service providers. As ObserveNow, we become a catalyst to put these two stakeholders together and witness the education revolution”. 

“It’s very selective in terms of who we bring to our conversations, our conferences. We select the right set of stakeholders who have the right products and services to place in the higher education industry in India, which actually adds value, and significantly enhances the quality of education at higher education institutes. We also select the most unique and the highest performing universities across India who have a lot of knowledge to share in these forums and give us the best practices with which they are developing the new India, the BHARAT”. Ms. Tikoo added.

Prof. (Dr.) Keshav Sharma, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh then took the command and spoke about AI in education. He said, “Artificial intelligence is the catalyst for transformation, artificial intelligence is not merely an adjunctivity, but a central pillar in this transformation. It is revolutionising education by personalising learning, enhancing adaptive efficiency, facilitating real time feedback and supporting life long learning in our global market, the market size in the global education market, is projected to grow from 4.7 billion in 2024 to 7.57 billion in 2025 adds an increase of 38.4%. Long-term outlook anticipated to reach 30.28 billion by 2029 driven by the artificial intelligence Power learning analytics. The student engagement with the AI tools estimates that 68% of the students currently report using AI tools like the Chatgpt, Grammarly and Microsoft for academic tasks”. His insightful addresses emphasized the essential role of AI integration in revolutionizing both academic and administrative functions.

Four high-impact panels later drove deeper into crucial aspects shaping the future of higher education. From talking about human-AI collaboration to diving deep into future-proofing higher education, there was something for everyone. The first panel sat on the topic, Human–AI Collaboration – Moderated by Manish Prateek, Pro-vice chancellor, DBS Global University, the panel included luminaries like Dr. Picheswar Gadde (Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth), Dr. Sunil Rai (UPES, Dehradun), Mr. Gurinder Singh Bahra, Vice Chairman, Rayat Bahra Group, Mr. Manik Kathuria, Enterprise Account Director, Coursera for Campus, Prof. Manpreet S. Manna (Chandigarh University), Dr. Anshu Kataria (Aryans Group of Colleges), Mr. Gurkirat Singh, Executive Director, Gulzar Group of Institutes, and Prof. (Dr.) Shweta Agarwal, Principal, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ICFAI University.

This panel delved into the evolving relationship between human intelligence and artificial intelligence in the education sector. Panelists emphasized the need for faculty reskilling, citing that only 38% of educators in India feel equipped to teach in AI-integrated environments. Discussions revealed that institutions using AI for personalized learning paths reported a 30% improvement in student engagement and retention. The ethical implications of AI, including algorithmic bias and data privacy, were flagged as critical areas for governance frameworks. They explored the ethical implications of AI in classrooms, challenges in faculty adoption, and how AI can be leveraged for improved learning outcomes, data-driven decision-making, and institutional efficiency, all while preserving the irreplaceable human connection in education.

The second panel laid emphasis on Student Housing & Campus Choices – Led by Sohom Dutta of Zolo Scholar, the discussion explored evolving preferences in student accommodations and its emerging influence on campus branding and student satisfaction. The panel included- Dr. Parvinder Kaur, Pro Chancellor, Lamrin Tech Skills University, Dr. Abhishek Tripathi, Vice Chancellor, CT University, Dr. Shankar Ramamoorthy, Vice Chancellor, Jigyasa University, Dr. Piyush Verma, Registrar, Guru Kashi University, and Dr. Esha Bansal, Asst. Professor & Nodal Officer, ICFAI University.

This session focused on the shifting dynamics in student housing and how it plays a key role in institutional branding and student experience. Panelists noted that over 65% of students now factor in housing quality and campus amenities when selecting a university, particularly among Gen Z learners. Institutions investing in smart accommodation systems have seen up to 20% improvement in parent satisfaction scores. Mental health amenities, co-living experiences, and seamless campus access were cited as non-negotiables in the post-pandemic student housing experience. The discussion also touched upon smart infrastructure, digital access, and sustainability as growing priorities for modern campus residences. The idea of “campus as a service” emerged, where housing is integrated with academic and wellness offerings to boost student satisfaction and retention.

The third group focused on AI & Globalization in Education where Experts examined how AI is fueling cross-border learning, connectivity, and campus experience enhancements. The Indian government’s push for global recognition via the NEP 2020 framework and partnerships has led to a 25% rise in international collaborations in just two years. Panelists noted how tools like Zoom, Coursera, and Dassault Systèmes now facilitate global classroom experiences for over 10 million Indian learners. Language accessibility via AI translation tools was shown to improve course completion rates by up to 18% in multilingual regions. Real-world use cases presented by industry partners demonstrated how AI solutions are enhancing curriculum design, student engagement, and campus operations.

The session was notably enriched with contributions from companies like Zoom, Coursera, Dassault Systèmes, Zolo Scholar, and upGrad, who presented targeted industry solutions. Esteemed panelists included- Dr. Sandeep Sharma, Pro vice chancellor, Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University, Dr. B.S. Bhatia, Pro chancellor, RIMT University, Prof. Dr. S.C. Vaidya, General Secretary, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Dr. Chander Prakash, Group pro vice chancellor, Rayat Bahra University, Prof. Dr. Maninder Singh, Dean, Thapar University, Dr. Saurabh Sharma, Director-Principal, Shiva Group of Institutes, Dr. Abul Hassan Khan, Dean Management, Indus International University, and Mr. Anand Bala, SMB Sales Leaders, India and SAARC, ZOOM.

The final discussion was held on the topic, Future-Proofing Higher Education- This panel was moderated by Dr. Gaurav Kumar, Associate Director- Plaksha University. All the esteemed panellists include- Mr. Tarun Gupta, Director Operations, Shoolini University, Mr. Subarno, Assistant Director, OP Jindal Global University, and Mr. Kapil Chugh, SVP, Jio.

This final panel tackled the urgent need for institutions to build agility, resilience, and relevance in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. A 2023 AICTE survey found that less than 40% of Indian universities have updated their curriculum in the last 3 years to reflect new-age skills. Institutions that have embedded interdisciplinary programs report a 1.5x increase in graduate employability. Panelists discussed the rise of micro-credentials and stackable degrees — with Coursera reporting a 63% increase in Indian learners enrolling in certificate programs alongside traditional degrees. The panel also explored partnerships with the private sector and startups to ensure academic offerings remain future-ready. A strong emphasis was placed on rethinking pedagogy, institutional governance, and long-term planning to navigate the disruptions of tomorrow.

The event featured active participation from key partners: Zoom (Powered by), ICFAI University (Co-powered by), Coursera for Campus, Dassault Systèmes, Zolo Scholar, upGrad, The Association of Indian Universities, Wadhwani Foundation, Scholar Zolo, CodeTantra, YourDost, Strides Pleasin Foundation, and more. Their presence bolstered conversations on campus innovation, student support, and digital infrastructure.

Participants praised the conclave’s seamless organization and depth of content. Many highlighted the value of discussions bridging AI advancements with ground realities of student welfare, space innovation, and institutional agility. The awards ceremony was seen as a vital acknowledgment of holistically integrating technology in education.

As ELCA completes its 10th edition journey, ObserveNow has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering dialogue and recognizing excellence within the education sector. With the next edition scheduled for Hyderabad in August 2025, this Chandigarh conclave has laid a robust foundation for advancing the Higher Education 4.0 agenda across India and beyond.

In summary, the 10th Education Leaders Conclave & Awards emerged as a milestone converging academic visionaries, tech leaders, and policy stewards to navigate the future of AI-powered higher education celebrating innovation, championing collaboration, and setting the stage for sustainable, student-first transformation.

Tags: 10th Education Leaders Conclave & Awards10th ELCACHANDIGARHhigher educationObserveNow Education

Related posts

Exclusive

Ravi Iyer Appointed as CFO of Flipkart’s Marketplace Business

Observenow Desk

Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce giant, has elevated Ravi Iyer to the position of Chief Financial Officer for its Marketplace business, as part of preparations for its upcoming initial public offering. The move reflects Flipkart’s efforts to optimize financial governance in its key revenue-driving segment as it moves closer to public markets.

Ravi Iyer, a seasoned finance executive with deep expertise in corporate strategy and financial planning, steps into the marketplace-focused role at a critical juncture. Flipkart’s marketplace arm remains its most profitable unit, generating billions in sales annually through over 500 million registered customers and more than 1.4 million sellers on the platform. With the IPO on the horizon, bolstering financial oversight is key, and Iyer’s appointment signals strong leadership alignment.

Before this elevation, Iyer served as Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Flipkart, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and financial strategy. A Chartered Accountant by training, he previously spent over a decade at ITC Ltd. in various finance roles, and his experience also extends to roles at prominent companies across sectors. This blend of corporate finance, strategic growth, and M&A experience positions him well to manage the complex financial framework of a marketplace organization on the cusp of public listing.

Flipkart’s marketplace model—offering third-party sellers a platform to reach consumers has been a cornerstone of its growth. With offerings spanning over 150 million products across 80+ categories and revenues constituting the lion’s share of Flipkart’s business, the marketplace contributes significantly to earnings. As CFO, Iyer will oversee budgeting, reporting, financial operations, and governance aligned with investor expectations ahead of and after the IPO.

This appointment underscores Flipkart’s broader strategy to reinforce governance and financial discipline. Promoting from within, Flipkart continues to prioritize internal leadership to steer major milestones, including regulatory readiness, disclosure compliance, and investor communications.

Industry observers see Iyer’s move as a positive signal to investors, showcasing Flipkart’s commitment to robust financial management. The marketplace CFO role is set to become increasingly central, overseeing financial health, pricing strategies, vendor economics, and growth investments across cloud, logistics, and customer support—areas crucial to post-IPO performance.

As CFO of the marketplace division, Iyer will collaborate with marketplaces’ senior leaders, including the Heads of Product, Operations, and Finance, to harmonize fiscal strategy with broader corporate goals. Key focus areas will include preparing for quarterly earnings, investor roadshows, and assembling internal accounting process improvements essential for compliance post-listing.

Ravi Iyer’s promotion marks a pivotal moment for Flipkart as it sharpens financial leadership to support its IPO ambitions. His extensive background across finance, M&A, and strategic planning brings needed depth at a time when marketplace performance and regulatory mucs are under scrutiny. With Iyer at the fiscal helm, Flipkart is better positioned to manage investor expectations and sustain growth through its flagship marketplace business in the lead-up to its public debut.

Tags: FlipkartRavi Iyer

Related posts

HR

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to Oversee Office and AI Initiatives

Observenow Desk June 9, 2025

In a strategic leadership reshuffle, Microsoft has appointed LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to oversee its Office products and flagship AI initiative, Copilot, while retaining his role at LinkedIn. 

Roslansky will now manage key productivity tools, including Word, Excel, and Outlook, as well as the Microsoft 365 Copilot app teams. He will report to Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s head of experiences and devices. This move aims to align LinkedIn more closely with Microsoft’s broader AI vision, reinforcing the integration between LinkedIn’s professional graph and Microsoft Graph.

Additionally, Charles Lamanna, who leads Copilot for business and industrial applications, will now report to Jha. Office leaders Sumit Chauhan and Gaurav Sareen will also report to Jha, consolidating Microsoft’s AI and productivity efforts under unified leadership. These changes, outlined in a memo from CEO Satya Nadella, reflect Microsoft’s commitment to integrating AI across its product suite and streamlining leadership to drive innovation.

The restructuring is part of Microsoft‘s broader strategy to transform enterprise operations with AI, ensuring cohesive development and deployment of AI-driven tools across its platforms. As Microsoft continues to invest in AI and cloud computing, this leadership realignment positions the company to better navigate the evolving technological landscape and meet the growing demand for intelligent productivity solutions.

Tags: LinkedInRyan Roslansky

Related posts

Upcoming Conferences