Pune: India would be the data and AI capital for the planet will create innovations for the rest of the world, said Microsoft India chief Anant Maheshwari. Technology is an enabler that is helping us shape the future – and it is more human than anyone expected, added CP Gurnani, CEO, Tech Mahindra. Gurnani was in conversation with Nitin Bhatt, managing partner, technology sector, EY and Maheshwari at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum 2022 on Wednesday.

Building upon that, Maheshwari said that it was important to ask what technology must do versus what technology can do.

“When we talk about digital skilling, we think of coding or high end skills to create AI or ML, but it has to be a lot more inclusive,” said Maheshwari. For instance the role of a security guard has evolved to enabling and managing communication and other tasks digitally, and it is important to ensure that he has the digital skills needed to do his job. “Skilling, access and inclusion go hand in hand in bridging the digital divide,” he said.

Sustainability will also be a big differentiator in the future, with sustainability becoming personal, said Gurnani. He said employees he was speaking to said that they wanted the company to recognize that sustainability is a big issue on an individual basis. While it’s still early days, he said that once it becomes a mass movement, things will change. “Most of us are now having this conversation in the boardrooms, are creating tech platforms and have definitive goals. In my opinion, the battle is almost half resolved because people take it as their mission,” he said.

Finally, on how they viewed India at 100, Gurnani said that the dream of digital India should be where digital is helping transform lives and livelihoods, and that the impact is visible at the grassroots. “We have to work together to drive a seamless, transparent and digital ecosystem where the results are measured by creating opportunities,” he said.

Maheshwari said that he imagined India would be the data and AI capital for the planet and creating innovations for the rest of the world in India.

Stay on top of technology and startup news that matters. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest and must-read tech news, delivered straight to your inbox.