Tata Steel has deployed over 550 AI models for manufacturing optimization: AI Projects head

Jamshedpur, March 26: Tata Steel has integrated over 550 artificial intelligence (AI) models across its value chain to enhance manufacturing efficiency, monitor blast furnace operations, and optimize energy management, said Sameer Sagar Mishra, Head of AI Projects, Tata Steel. Speaking at Manakriti: AI & Business – Transforming Strategy, Innovation, and Leadership, the inaugural AI Conclave hosted by XLRI Jamshedpur, Mishra highlighted the company’s AI-driven approach to industrial transformation.

The conclave, organized by XLRI’s PGDM (GM) AI Nexus Club, served as a platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and AI experts to discuss AI’s role in reshaping business strategies, leadership, and innovation.

Earlier, the event was inaugurated by Dr. (Fr.) S. George, S.J., Director, XLRI Jamshedpur, and Dr. Sanjay K. Patro, Dean (Academics), XLRI Jamshedpur. Fr. George emphasized the ethical dimensions of AI and its role in responsible leadership, while Dr. Patro underlined the necessity for business leaders to embrace AI-driven transformations.

The conclave featured two expert panel discussions.

Panel 1: AI & The Future of Work – Redefining Jobs & Skills

Moderated by Dr. (Fr.) Kuruvilla Joseph Pandikattu, S.J., Chair Professor of the JRD Tata Foundation on Business Ethics, the session explored AI’s impact on workforce transformation, ethical AI governance, and the evolving job market.

Srivatsa Subbanna, Senior VP & Head of Intelligent Automation & AI at Axis Bank, highlighted the GenAI chatbot “Adi,” which is revolutionizing banking experiences.

Mamta Aggarwal Rajnayak, VP – Head of AI-ML Products & Platforms at American Express, emphasized the importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Ethical Quotient (EQ) in AI-driven workplaces to ensure transparency and fairness.

Debayan Nag, Associate Director at PwC India, stressed the need for businesses to prioritize human-AI collaboration while building scalable and ethical AI frameworks.

Dr. Sanmitra Sarkar, Senior Director & Global Head of Generative AI at Capgemini, discussed the transition from traditional AI to Generative AI, shaping the future of business transformation.

Kshitiz Aggarwal, Asia Leader – Data & AI at Microsoft, stressed the democratization of AI expertise and the necessity for accountability, explainability, and transparency in AI decision-making.

Panel 2: AI for Business – Transformation

Moderated by Rahul Ratnam, a PGDM-GM student at XLRI, the second panel focused on AI’s role in business transformation and strategic leadership.

Sankarsan Mukherjee, Director at PwC India, stated that AI adoption must be use-case driven and leverage agile, cloud-based ecosystems.

Anne Grace, Director at Verizon, emphasized that AI should be used to solve the right business problems and align with organizational goals.

Amar Kumar, Principal Data & Applied Scientist at Microsoft India, encouraged leaders to adopt a “learn and conquer” mindset for continuous growth in AI.

Dr. Amit Sachan, VP at Jio, shared how AI-powered personalization is transforming user engagement, citing Jio-Hotstar’s AI-driven recommendations as an example.

Ramakanta Panigrahy, Practice Director & Head of Automation at Atos, discussed AI-driven automation for aligning with broader business objectives.

Rohit Punnoose, Senior Director of Data Sciences at Target India, explained how AI-driven pricing strategies in retail are optimizing profit margins and customer experience.