XLRI Jamshedpur hosts ‘Manakriti 2.0’, a conclave focused on Responsible AI and its future impact
Jamshedpur, Dec 3: XLRI Jamshedpur’s PDGM-GM students successfully hosted the Manakriti 2.0: Trust, Truth, and Transformation: Building Responsible AI for the Next Decadeby the AI Nexus Club. The event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and AI experts to explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence in reshaping industries and driving business innovation. The conclave brought forth insightful panel discussions where experts shared their perspectives on AI’s impact on jobs, skills, strategy, and leadership.
The Conclave opened with a powerful and heartfelt inaugural address by Prof. Giridhar Ramachandran-Associate Dean of XOL and member of Marketing Faculty at XLRI , who spoke about the growing importance of AI as a force shaping businesses, ethics, and society. He urged students to approach AI not just as a technical toolkit but as a responsibility—an evolving discipline that demands clarity of purpose, ethical grounding, and human sensitivity. Prof. Giri highlighted how the next decade will belong to leaders who can balance innovation with wisdom, and who understand that trust is the real currency in an AI-driven world.
Event Overview
XLRI PGDM (GM) proudly hosted Manakriti 2.0, the second edition of its flagship AI Conclave, on 29 November 2025 at the XLRI Jamshedpur campus. Built around the theme Trust, Truth, and Transformation: Building Responsible AI for the Next Decade, this year’s conclave brought together senior industry experts, technology leaders, AI practitioners, and academicians to decode how AI is reshaping business and society.
Manakriti has quickly become one of XLRI’s most influential knowledge platforms, enabling students to engage directly with decision-makers leading digital and AI transformations across industries. Manakriti 2.0 continued this tradition with a full-day immersion into engineering scalable AI, navigating future-of-work shifts, and embedding ethical principles into intelligent systems.
Panel 1: Engineering Intelligence – Building Scalable, Explainable, and Business‑Ready AI
Panelists discussed the shift from proof‑of‑concepts to enterprise‑grade deployments, the rising importance of explainability, and the need for robust, well‑governed data ecosystems. They emphasized that AI maturity requires a blend of strong engineering, thoughtful governance, and clear business alignment. Real‑world examples highlighted how organizations are investing in cloud‑native data platforms, MLOps pipelines, and cross‑functional collaboration to unlock sustainable value.
Panel 2: Redefining Talent – The Human Edge in the Age of AI
The second panel examined the workforce transformation underway. Speakers stressed that AI is augmenting—not replacing—human capability. Future roles will be hybrid, requiring comfort with technology alongside problem‑solving, empathy, creativity, and leadership. Continuous learning and adaptability emerged as core expectations for tomorrow’s professionals.
Panel 3: AI Ethics by Design – Creating Responsible and Human‑Centered AI
The final panel focused on fairness, transparency, global governance, and human‑centric AI. Experts highlighted that bias mitigation, explainability, and privacy are no longer optional—they are strategic necessities. Companies adopting strong ethical frameworks will not only comply with emerging regulations but also build durable trust and competitive advantage.
Leaders and Speakers
Panel 1 – Engineering Intelligence:
• Guruprasanna Marimuthu – Chief of Edge AI & AI Agents, Aptiv
• Abhijit Pani – Senior Director, Kearney
• Prakash Dwivedi – Partner, EY
• Ramkumar Ravichandran – Director – Data Science & AI, Convera
• Satish Agarwal – AI Lead, EY
Panel 2 – Redefining Talent:
• Priyankar Ray Chaudhuri – GenAI Lead, Accenture
• Vedanarayanan – Senior Advisor, Simon-Kucher
• Rajesh Kumar Bhatt – CEO, Knowledge Foundry
• Vijaya Ghosh – Partner, BCG
• Vikash Sharma – Leader AI/ML, NielsenAI
Panel 3 – AI Ethics by Design:
• Suman Das – Managing Consultant & AI Transformation Leader, IBM
• Pradeep Kumar Mishra – Senior Director, Dell
• Baskar Roy – Head of AI
• Nitin Raj – Partner, PwC
• Murari Ramuka – AI Technologist, Microsoft
Closing Note
The conclave concluded with a thoughtful closing address by Prof. Sunil Sarangi, who reflected on the urgent need for responsible innovation. He highlighted that while AI continues to evolve rapidly, the anchor must always remain human values, societal impact, and ethical clarity. He encouraged students to lead with curiosity, integrity, and compassion—reminding them that technology becomes meaningful only when it elevates people.
Special appreciation was extended to Fr. S. George SJ, Fr. Donald D’Silva, S J, Prof. Sanjay Patro, Prof. Sunil Sarangi and Prof. Giridhar Ramachandran for their invaluable support and insights. The organizing team also thanked the industry experts for sharing their perspectives and looked forward to continuing AI-driven discussions at XLRI in the future. The event was organized seamlessly under the able guidance of Prof.Kanagaraj Ayyalusamy & Ms. Haripriya B and the entire AI Committee.
Manakriti 2.0 reaffirmed XLRI’s commitment to shaping leaders who understand AI not only as a transformational tool but as a profound responsibility. With rich insights, dynamic discussions, and deep student engagement, the conclave strengthened XLRI’s position as a thought leader at the intersection of management, technology, and ethics.
