AUG 23 2 0 2 5
The Road Ahead2.O
SATURDAY 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm TTJ Auditorium, IC&SR, IIT Madras
PROF
Synopsis
“The Road Ahead 2.0”
In an era where change is the only constant, the book “The Road Ahead 2.0” (two-volume work) arrives as a timely and necessary reflection on the transformation of education and the emergence of artificial intelligence as a defining force in our lives. “The road ahead” book was written by Bill Gates in 1995, However, The Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, and Agentic AI are indeed “The Road Ahead 2.0”.
Volume 1 explores the timeless foundation of education the institution, the teacher, the taught, the pedagogy, and the syllabus. These five pillars have shaped generations, yet they now stand at the edge of a profound transition. This volume critically re-examines each component, urging us to rethink not only how we teach and learn but also why.
Volume 2 boldly steps into the future, where Artificial Intelligence serves as the conductor of a new symphony of intelligence. No longer confined to science fiction, AI is deeply interwoven into our societal fabric influencing how we work, learn, govern, and dream Volume 2 invites readers to engage with AI not just as a technological advancement, but as a philosophical and educational challenge that demands new wisdom, ethics, and vision.
Together, these volumes form a bridge between the wisdom of the past and the possibilities of the future. They speak not only to educators, policymakers, and technologists but to every citizen navigating this pivotal moment in history. It is our hope that this work will inspire deeper inquiry, critical conversations, and purposeful action toward building a world where both human and machine intelligence serve the greater good.
Authors: Prof. T G Sitharam and Mr. Yogi Kochhar
6:00 PM Registration & Hi-Tea
6:30 PM Welcome Address
Mr Lakshminarayanan Duraiswamy
President, MMA &
Managing Director, Sundaram Home Finance Ltd
Launch of the book - By the dignitaries Programme
Address by the Author
Prof T G Sitharam
Author & Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education
Panel Discussion
Panelists
Dr V Kamakoti Director, IIT Madras
Mr Lakshmi Narayanan
Chancellor Chairperson
Governing Council, KREA University
Mr Yogi Kochhar
Author & AI Futurist
Prof T G Sitharam
Moderator
Dr S Vaidhyasubramaniam
Vice-Chancellor & TATA Sons Chair Prof of Mgmt
SASTRA Deemed University
Q&A
Vote of Thanks 7:25 PM
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
Executive Director
Madras Management Association
7:30 PM
End of the Program
Prof T G Sitharam
Author & Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education
An accomplished scholar, educator and innovator in engineering and technology. He regards it as a profound blessing and testament to his life and work that his design now rests at the feet of Lord Rama at the Ram Janam Bhoomi, serving at the foundation of the sacred temple.
With an illustrious career spanning academia and industry across India, Canada & USA, he has made significant contributions to geotechnical engineering and sustainable infrastructure.
A prolific author and visionary, his work exemplifies interdisciplinary excellence and a commitment to societal progress He brings transformative insights to global challenges, making him an inspiring voice for " The Road Ahead 2.O".
Profile
Mr Yogi Kochhar Author & AI Futurist
Yogi kochhar has earlier been part of the leadership team at Microsoft india
He has now been working on ai for the last couple of years and has recently written on it too. (Details below)
Ai ought to be spoken about. India has less than 20000 GPUs and 100 petaflops as compared to over a million GPUs and thousands of petaflops in US and China.
That said, there’s still a way forward.
Bill gates wrote the road ahead 3 decades ago when ms office appeared and people still could not comprehend what it would do
Together with Prof T G Sitharam we have authored two books titled: The Road Ahead 2.0 in 2 volumes that talk of how the world has already undergone a silent tectonic shift. The ramifications of ai have not been understood by india.
We have proposed several solutions in our books spanning 80+ dimensions.
The books have received glowing tributes for our work from national and global leaders such as prof Philip Kotler and prof Phoebe Koundouri the UN head of climate change.
He has also set up a state of the art ai lab in gurgaon. This was curated at Stanford university.
He now speaks, engages and advises several institutions wrt their ai infra that is outcome driven together with over 120 courses created
He treks with the shepherds around Dharamsala occasionally and plays golf.
Profile
Dr V Kamakoti Director, IIT Madras
Dr V Kamakoti is currently Director at IIT Madras. He joined the institute as faculty in 2001 and took over as its Director in January 2022
He specializes in Computer Architecture, Information Security and VLSI Design. He heads the Microprocessor Development Program and the Information Security Education and Awareness Program at IIT Madras funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. He is member of the National Security Advisory Board. He was also the Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. At IIT Madras he has served as the Chairman, JEE and as Associate Dean, Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research.
He has over 150 publications in international journals and conferences, guided many research scholars for their PhD and Master of Science (by research) program. He has coordinated and successfully delivered close to 50 projects from industry and government R&D establishments. He serves in the technology committees of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Dr. Kamakoti is the recipient of DRDO Academic Excellence Award, Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association Techno Visionary Award, 'Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship', ACCS Life-time Achievement Award, IBM Faculty Award, VASVIK Industrial Research award and JC Bose Lifetime Achievement Award.
He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras.
Profile
Mr Lakshmi Narayanan Chancellor Chairperson
Governing Council, KREA University
Lakshmi Narayanan is the Co-Founder of Cognizant and Director, ICT Academy, Chennai Mathematical Institute He is a Technology industry professional, who has spent over 40 years in the IT industry, with the last few years in a leadership and governance role in Cognizant’s Board. He is passionate about encouraging young minds to seek a larger purpose in life and encourages them to realise their potential through higher education and entrepreneurship. He plays an active role in ICT education and promotes research in Math and Computer Science.
His association with ICT Academy, Chennai Mathematical Institute, and Thiagarajar School of Management is aimed at promoting excellence in higher education. He is also actively involved in nonprofits, such as United Way, CHILDS Trust Medical Research Foundation, and others, to advance the cause of disadvantaged people and create meaningful livelihood opportunities in areas of technology and healthcare. He supports young entrepreneurs through angel investments as part of The Chennai Angels and the TiE Organisation. His recent investments include deep tech startups, space startups and energy ideas.
Profile
Dr S Vaidhyasubramaniam
Vice- Chancellor & TATA Sons Chair Prof of Mgmt
SASTRA Deemed University
Dr. S Vaidhyasubramaniam is the Vice Chancellor and TATA Sons Chair Professor of Management at SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he has a keen interest in Public Policy and Higher Education Management. He earned his Ph.D. in “MBA Education in India” as a visiting Scholar at the University of Virginia and holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines His undergraduate degree is a B.E. in Electronics & Instrumentation from Bharathidasan University.
Dr Vaidhyasubramaniam's corporate work experience spans across Siemens (India), MERALCO (Philippines), and Johnson & Johnson (USA & India). He is actively involved in several committees within the Ministry of Education, UGC, and AICTE, and participates in CII (SR & TN) & ASSOCHAM committees on Higher Education and various academic bodies.
In 1996, he was part of the Young Manager Award-winning team of the Madras Management Association He has served as a resource person for the LKY School of Public Policy, NUS, and the Asian Development Bank. Dr. Vaidhyasubramaniam contributes to academic bodies of various colleges and is a regular columnist for the New Indian Express, with occasional articles in BusinessLine, Times of India, Thuglak, and Dinamani He is also the author of "EXPRESS RIGHTings" (Three Volumes), a series focused on Education Policy.
