Mr. M.M. Murugappan speaks at the event

Mr. M.M. Murugappan, Chairman, CUMI & Chola MS, opened the conversation by approaching AI through three lenses: optimistic, realistic, and philosophical. He reminded the room that while the possibilities of AI in enterprise are vast, it is our capacity for purpose that remains distinctively human. He stated that the AI Tech Centre is designed to help organisations move beyond mere productivity, towards predictability, powered by the domain expertise that this collaboration brings together.

He noted that today’s session offered a glimpse into the world of AI and encouraged everyone to actively explore, learn, and implement emerging AI models in their work.

Professor Gaurav Raina addresses the audience

Professor Gaurav Raina, IIT Madras Research Park, offered a perspective that was equal parts historical and hopeful, comparing AI’s arrival to the discovery of fire and its transformative impact on human evolution. His message was clear: jobs will not disappear, they will evolve. The future he envisions is one of human-centric AI.

Prof. Raina introduced the concept of AI as an operating system for organisations. He framed it across three dimensions: Problem, Metrics, and Models, with Data at the core and Governance as the binding layer. He also mapped out the five dimensions of organisational IP and seven parameters to evaluate AI solutions, from accuracy and latency to personalisation and user experience. His point was that people care about solutions, not models.

He used the metaphor of tribal knowledge to explain how organisations really work, with shared knowledge at the centre, surrounded by workers, elders, healers, and those who face outward. AI, he argued, is the tool that can capture and amplify that collective intelligence.

Dr. Arun B. Ayyar expands on the Centre’s capabilities

Dr. Arun B. Ayyar, IIT Madras Research Park, brought the conversation closer to the ground, speaking on how AI can generate, analyse, predict, and automate across sectors, and how the AI Tech Centre is positioned to turn those capabilities into tangible solutions. He made a compelling case for urgency, noting that the window of competitive advantage is open, but not forever, with enterprises already seeing up to 30% reduction in operational costs, 2.4X increase in customer engagement, and 55% faster legal and compliance cycles through AI adoption.

He walked through use cases across industries where the Murugappa Group is present: agriculture and chemicals, manufacturing, financial services, FMCG, and functions like finance, HR, legal, and customer service. From farmer advisory chatbots and predictive maintenance to contract review and internal knowledge Q&A, the message was that practical, deployable AI solutions exist today, across every

Mr. Natarajan Chidambaram remarks on the Centre’s agenda

Mr. Natarajan Chidambaram, CEO, Net Access, outlined the Centre’s core agenda: strategy, governance, awareness, adoption, and use case development, a practical roadmap for enterprises looking to move from AI curiosity to AI competence.