Today is Episode 7 of the Interview series on Expert-talks @MAAVRUS, with Leaders in the Analytics, AI and Transformation space. For this episode, our CEO Mahadevann Iyerr (Mahaa) is in conversation with Utpal Chakrborty, Chief Digital Officer at Allied Digital. Prior to Allied Digital, Utpal was Head of AI at YES Bank. He has also worked as principal architect in Capgemini, IBM and L&T Infotech. He is an eminent speaker, researcher and author on topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Web3 and Metaverse, Blockchain and IoT. In 2022, he was conferred with the award of Global AI Ambassador. I am listing below, some key points from the interview : 1. Utpal is interested in various technologies because of their unique features. Quantum computing can be linked to artificial intelligence through quantum machine learning, which boosts speed and agility. Web 3 and Metaverse are interlinked with artificial intelligence and blockchain. 2. Multiple factors contribute to a country's AI ecosystem, and India has evolved significantly in this regard over the past few years. While the US and Canada lead in AI research, India has made significant progress in implementation, particularly in its startup ecosystem and response to digital payments and the COVID pandemic. 3. Allied Digital has been involved in Smart City projects in India for a long time, and they have gained experience in implementing various use cases. They have evolved from infra-level implementations to more intelligent systems that incorporate computer vision and advanced analytics. The aim of a Smart City is to build a digital infrastructure that provides better customer experiences for citizens and makes government assets more productive. 4. The key components of a Smart City project, include smart lights, garbage management, traffic management systems, and sensors. The data collected by these systems need to be brought together in a single repository using ETL processes and then transformed, correlated, and filtered to build data marts. Machine learning models, AI models, and analytics can be applied to derive insights and build predictive models that can be used by the command and control Centre to take immediate action or by citizens to access intelligent services through their apps. 5. Domain support, situational awareness along with support from top management is important for the success of Analytics & AI projects. For achieving scale data engineering is a critical aspect. Given the all-pervasive requirement of analytics and AI in driving transformation, it requires higher-level leadership to bring multiple teams together towards a common goal. 6. Utpal sees AI and the future of work converging, making it easier for people to work seamlessly and collaboratively. Large language models like ChatGPT will become more powerful and will be applied to other mediums such as images, videos, and audio. He believes that outcome-oriented work will replace conventional nine-to-six jobs and that agility will increase as AI is applied to tasks that currently take longer.