From AI Pilots to Business Value, IIT Mandi’s AiXcelrate 4.0 Puts Leadership Decisions at the Centre

Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, Prof. Anjan K. Swain, Chairperson, School of Management, IIT Mandi, Ashley D’Acouza, Chief Data Officer, Hindustan Coca Cola, and Rohit Kilam, Chief Technology Officer, HDFC Life, examine responsible AI, strategic advantage and the challenges of scaling adoption

The organisational shift from experimenting with artificial intelligence to generating sustainable business value took centre stage at AiXcelrate 4.0, the two day AI and leadership conclave organised by the School of Management, IIT Mandi.
Held on September 19 and 20 at the IIT Mandi campus, the fourth edition brought together industry leaders, practitioners, faculty members and students to examine how AI adoption is changing business strategy and leadership decisions.
Organised around the theme “Next Gen AI-Leadership: Beyond the Horizon to Monetizing AI,” the conclave focused on three areas: moving from productivity and automation towards strategic advantage, converting AI adoption into business growth and taking AI projects from experimental pilots to sustainable scale.

Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, placed responsibility and societal impact at the centre of the discussion around AI leadership.
“As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in organisations and society, leadership cannot be defined only by how quickly we adopt new technologies. Responsible AI leadership requires us to consider the larger societal consequences of the choices we make, while ensuring that innovation remains aligned with human values and meaningful outcomes. Institutions such as IIT Mandi have an important role in preparing leaders who can combine technological capability with responsibility and social purpose.”
The first day featured a panel titled “Moving from Productivity and Automation to Strategic Advantage: The AI Value Shift,” examining whether efficiency and automation alone can provide lasting competitive advantage and what organisations need to do to move AI into more strategic applications.

Ashley D’Acouza, Chief Data Officer, Hindustan Coca Cola, cautioned against treating widespread availability of AI as an automatic source of competitive advantage.
“The AI advantage is still far away. We are still in the experimentation phase,” D’Acouza said.
The discussion considered the role of leadership, strategic vision and an organisation’s ability to connect technological capabilities with specific business requirements.
The first day also included mentoring and industry academia brainstorming sessions that allowed students to interact with practitioners. It concluded with HimTarang, a cultural evening featuring performances by members of the IIT Mandi community.

The second day moved the discussion towards growth and implementation at scale. The panel “Moving from AI Adoption to AI Advantage: Accelerating Growth” examined how organisations can connect AI adoption with customer acquisition, personalisation, innovation, decision making and revenue growth.
The discussions also considered how businesses can distinguish experimentation with AI from measurable commercial outcomes.
Rohit Kilam, Chief Technology Officer, HDFC Life, addressed the evolving division of work between people and artificial intelligence.
“The verifiable will increasingly be taken over by AI, but the unverifiable will remain. That is where humans will continue to stay relevant,” Kilam said.

The subsequent panel, “Moving from Pilot to Profit: Scaling AI,” addressed the practical requirements of expanding AI projects across organisations. Discussions covered data infrastructure, integration with existing systems, governance, workforce readiness, cost, human oversight and the assessment of potential returns.
Students also participated in an Industry Case Competition sponsored and powered by 6D Technologies. MBA and Integrated MBA students worked in teams of four to five on a common industry business challenge before presenting their recommendations to a jury that included industry representatives.
Team Tactical Minds won the AiXcelrate 4.0 Industry Case Competition. The Case Solvers finished as the first runner up, while The InsightX secured the second runner up position.

Prof. Anjan K. Swain, Chairperson, School of Management, IIT Mandi, described scope, speed and scale as three dimensions shaping the relationship between AI and business.
“The business implications of AI increasingly need to be understood through three dimensions: scope, speed and scale. Its scope is expanding across organisational functions, the speed of technological change is accelerating, and organisations are confronting the challenge of scaling AI in ways that create genuine business value. AiXcelrate provides a platform to examine these questions by bringing management education into direct conversation with industry practice.”
The conclave also featured student presentations, mentoring interactions and a valedictory session.
Dr. Ashish Bollimbala, Faculty Coordinator, AiXcelrate 4.0, delivered the vote of thanks, acknowledging the industry speakers and panellists, participating organisations, 6D Technologies, students, faculty members and organising team involved in the two day programme.

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