Mint Techcetra

By Mint - HT SmartcastBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology

Mint Techcetra episodes

November 07Will AI Agents Decide Your Next Loan? Raj Nair, Piramal Finance, Explains | Mint Techcetra
How is AI changing who gets a loan in India? Raj Nair, Head of Customer Experience at Piramal Finance, tells Mint's Consulting Editor Leslie D'Monte why speed is no longer enough, and what lenders must do next.
In this episode of Mint Techcetra, part of a special series produced in partnership with ‪@salesforce‬, we discuss how generative AI and agentic AI are rewriting the rules of lending, and what it means for financial inclusion.
IN THIS CONVERSATION
Why borrowers now expect clarity and confidence, not just speed

What a decade-old voice bot taught lenders about context, and how LLMs change it

How voice agents handle rural customers, and why nuance matters more than language

Why a smart model alone won't win, and what data and CRM platforms add

How AI reads UPI, QR and platform payments to judge intent for borrowers without papers: "Kagaz se zyada niyat dekhte hain"

Why AI should sit at the centre of lending, not at the edge, and what the steam engine has to do with it

What leaders must do: safe space to experiment, incentives, and effectiveness over efficiency

Lending in five years: personal AI agents, the future of DSAs and DSTs, and what happens to the workforce
----
#AILending #FinancialInclusion #AgenticAI #PiramalFinance

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 min
November 02 What It Takes to Power Pension Services at Population Scale
Every day, millions of Indians pay bills, invest in their pension, and verify their identity in a few taps. Behind all of it sits a vast layer of digital infrastructure that has to stay secure, stable and trusted at all times.

In this episode of Mint Techcetra, host Nelson John speaks with Rishi Aurora, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting India and South Asia, and Ranbheer Singh Dhariwal, Group Head, Social Security and Welfare, Protean eGov, about what it really takes to build and modernize that infrastructure.

They discuss how digital public infrastructure has raised the bar for every app, what it means to be the record keeper for the National Pension System, how critical platforms are upgraded without any downtime, and why architecture, AI governance and security matter most right now. They also delve into the role and contributions of ecosystem partners in this journey and where the next big leap for Digital India will come from.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
40 min
October 30 The Data Advantage: Building for the AI Era | Matthew Oostveen & Ramanujam Komanduri | Everpure
AI has made data the most valuable thing a company owns. But does your organisation actually know what data it has, where it sits and who can access it?
In this episode of Leadership Lessons, host Hrishikesh Kannan speaks with Matthew Oostveen, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Asia Pacific and Japan, Everpure, and Ramanujam Komanduri, Country Manager, Everpure India, about the data problem sitting underneath the AI opportunity.
They discuss why data has become king, why so many AI pilots struggle to move into production, and why the best AI projects start with the outcome rather than the tool. The conversation also covers shadow data and dark data, what data sovereignty really means for Indian organisations under the DPDP Act, and the questions every CIO should be asking their data team right now.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
35 min
September 30 Why AI adoption isn't AI transformation | Avani Prabhakar, Atlassian | Mint Techcetra

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min
August 07 The Biggest AI Risk You Should Know About | Are Enterprises Ready? | Techcetra | Mint x Salesforce
PARTNERED
In this episode of Techcetra, in partnership with @salesforce Leslie D'Monte speaks with Abhijit Kokane, Vice President - IT at Gen Digital, about how organisations can confidently navigate the next wave of AI transformation. From redesigning security architectures and empowering CISOs to making cybersecurity a boardroom priority, the conversation explores what it takes to build resilient, AI-first enterprises.
#TechCetra #AgenticAI #CyberSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #GenDigital #AI #CISO #TechPodcast #CyberSecurityAwareness

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 min
August 03 The Economics of AI Explained | Neil Thompson on AI, Chips, & What's Next | Techcetra | Salesforce
PARTNERED
Artificial Intelligence is advancing faster than ever—but can this pace continue?
In this episode of Techcetra partnered with @salesforce , Leslie D'Monte speaks with Neil Thompson, Director of the FutureTech Research Project at MIT, to explore the economics driving today's AI revolution.
While recent breakthroughs have transformed what AI can do, Neil explains that much of this progress has come from scaling compute—using more GPUs, more power and larger investments. But is that model sustainable? What happens when compute demand outpaces supply?
The conversation dives into the economics of AI, chip shortages, NVIDIA's dominance, large language models, small language models, Agentic AI, AI in scientific research, digital labour, and the future of AI infrastructure. Neil also shares his perspective on India's AI ambitions, semiconductor manufacturing, local language models and why continuously improving smaller models may be a smarter long-term strategy.
In this episode:
Why we're living through AI's "golden age"
The economics behind AI scaling
Why chip shortages could continue for years
Compute vs algorithmic innovation
LLMs vs SLMs
The rise of Agentic AI
AI's role in scientific research
Can AI compete with human labour?
NVIDIA, GPUs and the future of AI infrastructure
India's AI roadmap and semiconductor ambitions
Whether you're an AI enthusiast, business leader, developer, researcher or policymaker, this conversation offers a practical look at the technological and economic forces shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
Subscribe to Mint Techcetra for more conversations with global technology leaders, researchers and innovators.
#ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AgenticAI #MIT #NeilThompson #Techcetra #MachineLearning #NVIDIA #Semiconductors #GenerativeAI #LLM #SLM #AIInfrastructure #IndiaAI #FutureOfAI

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min
August 02 Can AI Agents Replace Human Work in Logistics? | Techcetra | Salesforce | Mint
PARTNERED
Artificial Intelligence has moved far beyond chatbots.
In this episode of Techcetra, in partnership with @salesforce Leslie D'monte speaks with Kapil Mahajan, Global Chief Information & Technology Officer at Allcargo Group, explains how AI agents are transforming one of the world's largest logistics industries—from automating freight quotations and invoice processing to managing global supply chains at scale. He argues that tomorrow's logistics companies will actually be technology companies delivering logistics as a service.
The conversation explores how enterprises are deploying AI agents, why clean data is the foundation of successful AI adoption, the importance of human oversight, and how organisations can build guardrails to ensure AI remains secure, compliant and reliable.
In this episode:
Why logistics companies are becoming technology companies
AI Agents vs Generative AI
Building enterprise AI with clean data
Automating global freight operations
How Allcargo handles 40,000+ customer quotes every month
AI governance, compliance and guardrails
The future of autonomous enterprise workflows
If you're interested in enterprise AI, digital transformation, logistics, supply chains or the future of automation, this conversation offers practical insights into AI adoption at scale.
#AI #AIAgents #Logistics #SupplyChain #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #Automation #DigitalTransformation #Allcargo #Salesforce #Techcetra

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
July 24 Iron Man, Wolverine & Agentic AI? Salesforce SVP Explains the Future of AI
PARTNERED
Artificial Intelligence is entering a new phase-and it's no longer just about generating content.
In this episode of Techcetra, in partnership with @salesforce Leslie D'monte speaks with Shibani Ahuja, SVP, Enterprise IT Strategy at Salesforce, about why enterprises are shifting from Generative AI to Agentic AI, what it means for CIOs, and why most AI initiatives fail to scale.
Drawing from conversations with CIOs worldwide, Shibani explains why AI strategy today is less about technology and more about business outcomes, organisational change and adaptability.
The discussion explores the architectural differences between Generative AI and Agentic AI, the importance of data readiness, scaling AI beyond pilot projects, the evolving role of Chief AI Officers, and why enterprises need what she calls an "Adaptability Quotient (AQ)."
One of the highlights of the conversation is her simple Marvel-inspired analogy using Iron Man and Wolverine to explain one of AI's most complex concepts.
In this episode:
Generative AI vs Agentic AI
Why 95% of AI pilots fail to scale
The future role of CIOs
Human impact of AI transformation
Building enterprise AI strategy
Data, governance and AI readiness
AI architecture explained simply
Why adaptability matters more than ever
If you're a technology leader, CIO, founder, enterprise decision-maker or simply curious about where AI is headed, this conversation offers practical insights into the next phase of enterprise AI.
#AgenticAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Salesforce #EnterpriseAI #GenerativeAI #CIO #DigitalTransformation #TechPodcast #RajivMakhni #Techcetra

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 min
July 17 How AI Is Reinventing India's Jewellery Retail Experience | Techcetra | Salesforce x Mint
PARTNERED
Artificial Intelligence is changing retail in ways most customers never notice.
In this episode of Techcetra in partnership with @salesforce Mint's Leslie D'Monte speaks with Avnish Anand, Board Member at ORRA Fine Jewellery and former Co-founder & CEO of CaratLane, about how AI is reshaping customer experience in luxury retail.
From recreating the personalised service of India's traditional family jewellers to using voice, video and customer insights for hyper-personalised experiences, Avnish explains how AI is helping retailers build deeper customer relationships without losing the human touch.
The conversation also explores:
Why AI matters in jewellery retail
Hyper-personalisation at scale
How AI can preserve customer relationships across stores
The role of Agentic AI in retail
Why human interaction will always matter in luxury
AI-powered jewellery design and customisation
Building customer loyalty in the age of AI
The future of retail technology
If you're interested in AI, retail innovation, customer experience, marketing, or digital transformation, this episode offers valuable insights into how technology is changing one of India's oldest industries.
#AI #RetailAI #AgenticAI #CustomerExperience #LuxuryRetail #Jewellery #ArtificialIntelligence #Salesforce #DigitalTransformation #Techcetra

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 min
July 06 How Agentic AI Is Changing Education In India | Techcetra | Salesforce x Mint
SPONSORED
Artificial Intelligence is changing education faster than ever before. But beyond concerns about students using ChatGPT, how are universities themselves adopting AI?
In this episode of Mint Techcetra partnered with @salesforce , we speak with Dr. Ganesh Prasad, - Director - Digital & IT, MAHE (Manipal Academy of Higher Education), about how one of India's leading universities is building AI-powered systems that go far beyond chatbots.
From AI agents that automate faculty workflows and personalise student learning to governance frameworks, healthcare applications and the future of higher education, this conversation explores what it really takes to build an AI-first university.
Subscribe to Mint for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of technology, business and innovation.
#AI #Education #ArtificialIntelligence #AgenticAI #HigherEducation #Techcetra #MAHE #EdTech #DigitalTransformation #Technology #Innovation #ChatGPT #FutureOfEducation

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min

About Mint Techcetra

From the publisher's feed

The Mint Techcetra podcast is your navigator into the mesmerizing maze that is technology today. From decoding technologies, policies, enterprises, and legal decisions to sci-fi and pop culture, this podcast will cover it all. Every week hosts - Leslie D'Monte, Shouvik Das and Deepti Ahuja - will talk about important developments in tech and how they transform our lives, work and play as we know it.