Who is Nandan Nilekani? Chairman and Co-Founder of Infosys ranked in the ‘TIME100 Al’ List

Nandan Nilekani is the co-founder and chairman of Infosys. Recently, Time magazine released a list of the most influential people in artificial intelligence in 2024, and the Indian entrepreneur was listed as one of the top shapers in the field.

The billionaire, co-founder of Infosys, began his technology career at Patni Computer Systems before co-founding Infosys in 1981, where he played a key role in revolutionizing India’s IT industry.

Who is Nandan Nilekani?

Nandan Nilekani is a renowned Indian entrepreneur and business leader, best known as the co-founder of Infosys, one of India’s largest IT services companies. He was born on June 2, 1955 in Bangalore, India, and received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 1978.

Career Overview

Nilekani started his career in 1978 at Patni Computer Systems, where he met NR Narayana Murthy, with whom he later co-founded Infosys in 1981.

As Infosys grew, Nilekani held various leadership positions, ultimately serving as CEO from March 2002 to April 2007.

Under his leadership, the company’s revenue grew significantly, exceeding $3 billion by the time he stepped down. After a leadership change in 2017, he returned to Infosys as non-executive chairman.

In addition to his work at Infosys, Nilekani was also appointed as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from 2009 to 2014.

This move led to the creation of Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identification system, which is designed to provide a unique identity for Indian residents.

Nilekani is also known for his philanthropy. He and his wife Rohini pledged to donate half of their wealth to charity, joining the Giving Pledge started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. They focus on a variety of social issues, including education and urban challenges.

Recognition and Rewards

Nilekani’s contributions to science, technology and society have won him numerous accolades. He was named one of Time magazine’s “TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006 and 2009.

He has also received many prestigious awards, such as the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, and the Joseph Schumpeter Prize for his innovative contributions in the fields of economics and politics.

What does Nandan Nilekani think about the future of AI in India?

Nandan Nilekani believes that artificial intelligence can help India develop in the future. He believes that artificial intelligence can make people do their jobs better and help create new things. Nilekani hopes that India will build a strong digital network to support artificial intelligence.

This will ensure that artificial intelligence is useful to everyone in India. He believes that India can use artificial intelligence to solve problems in a smart and economical way. Nilekani also said that India should use artificial intelligence carefully to ensure that it can help the entire country.

Nandan Nilekani shared some insights on the future of AI in India. Here are some of his key remarks:

Expanding Human Potential: Nilekani believes that AI can significantly augment human capabilities. He sees AI as a tool that can help individuals and businesses improve performance and solve complex problems.

Widespread adoption of AI: He is optimistic that by 2020, more people in India will be using AI on a daily basis in surprising ways, perhaps at a faster rate than in other countries. He expects the adoption of AI to increase rapidly across industries.

Advances in AI technology: Nilekani stressed the importance of recent advances in large language models and open source AI. He firmly believes that these developments will accelerate the application of AI in solving challenging business and societal problems.

Digital Infrastructure Support: He stressed the need for a strong digital public infrastructure to support AI applications and ensure that all citizens of India can use and benefit from it.

The remarks reflect Nilekani’s vision for a future where AI will play a key role in India’s growth and development, driving innovation and improving the quality of life for its people.