Education, Industry & AI: Conversation on What Must Change

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a buzzword in recent times. However, there are still many institutions which are not aware of its worth. The Enterprise AI Summit will be hosted in the city soon. In view of the Summit, Harsh Vardhan Jajoo of Nath School of Business and Technology stresses the deep discussion about AI.

Q1. AI is everywhere today. Why did you feel the need for a summit like @scale now?

AI is everywhere today, but clarity is not. Most conversations around AI focus on tools or demonstrations, while enterprises are either largely unaware or quietly struggling with a more fundamental issue — how to use AI to improve real business decisions.

I felt the need for @scale now because the industry is at an inflection point.

Q2. @scale is positioned as more than a one-day event. What does that mean?

A single event does not build capability or change behaviour. @scale is positioned as a milestone in a longer journey. For us, it represents the beginning of sustained engagement around Enterprise AI — through labs, leadership programs, and deeper industry–academia collaboration. The summit creates shared language and shared understanding, but the real work continues beyond the day.

Q3. If not data scientists, what should institutions focus on?

Not every institution needs to produce large numbers of data scientists, and pretending otherwise creates misalignment. What institutions must focus on is decision literacy--helping students and professionals understand data, ask better questions, interpret AI outputs, and apply judgment responsibly.

Q4. How has your industry experience shaped your thinking?

Strong Industry experience teaches one to work with many variables, yet not delaying decisions. Decisions in real organisations are rarely clean or theoretical — they are constrained by time, risk, people, and imperfect information. That experience has shaped my belief that technology, including AI, must serve judgment rather than replace it.

Q5. Tell us about the NSBT–Findability Sciences collaboration. What makes it different?

Many industry–academia collaborations remain symbolic in MoU and photo opp. You will be surprised that FS and us have not even signed an MoU and yet our partnership has been operational right from the start because it has had a strong intent, follow-through and execution. We did not begin with announcements; we began by working together — through an AI Solutions Lab, a Management Development Programme, and now the @scale summit.

Q6. AI tools are changing how students learn, think, and work. How should educational institutions respond without becoming either resistant or reckless?

Education today has become both tougher and easier than before-- tougher for educators and easier for students. AI has democratised access to knowledge, making answers readily available, while educators operate in an environment shaped by social media influence, changing parental expectations, and blurred boundaries around discipline.