The event opened with welcome address by Consul General Dr. K. Srikar Reddy and a special address by Ambassador Namgya C. Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington D.C., setting the tone for an engaging and forward-looking program. A powerful keynote by Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures, on “AI for All” highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

Moderated by Vishal Sikka, Founder and CEO of Vianai Systems, the panel on “AI for All: Building Inclusive, Culturally Aware, and Accessible AI Ecosystems” brought together pioneering experts to discuss how to design AI systems that prioritize inclusivity, cultural sensitivity, and broad accessibility. Panelists included Natasha Crampton, Chief Responsible AI Officer at Microsoft; Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Human Use Officer at Salesforce; Julie Huguet, Director of the French Tech Mission in Paris; Srinivas Narayanan, CTO of B2B Applications at OpenAI; and Meerah Rajavel, Board Member and CIO at Palo Alto Networks.

The program also featured a special telecast by Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, followed by a closing address from Ben Gomes, Chief Technologist for Learning & Sustainability at Google.