Our Bureau
New York, NY
The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) held its webinar series on August 9th, 2025, with a compelling session titled “What AI Can Do For You?” The event gathered leading experts across researchers, innovators, users, and community thought leaders to engage in a discussion on the impact of AI in day-to-day lives across the globe.
Moderated by Tech Entrepreneur, AI & Data Science Leader, Founder & CEO DevJee Inc -Kathirvel Kumararaja, the webinar addressed the importance, use-case as well as addressed fears of AI (Artificial Intelligence) faced by citizens of all ages across the globe.
Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO’s Founder Chairman, framed the initiative with a clear message: “Our goal is to create a global platform that not only informs but equips the Indian diaspora to use of AI in daily lives. Through these webinars, GOPIO remains a catalyst for connection, advocacy, and community resilience.”
Prakash Shah, President of GOPIO, emphasized the series’ vital role in responding to community needs: “This series is more than information—it’s a lifeline. We are committed to educating our communities across borders and shaping a proactive response to use of AI in daily lives. In addition, we want to offer learning opportunities across various topics thru our Monthly Webinars and increase awareness among the Indian diaspora.”
Sunil Vuppula, Host of Monthly Webinars at GOPIO, commented “As anxiety and excitement dominate the AI wave, we assembled a panel of rock star experts, academicians and practitioners who have brilliant engineering minds as well as a robust imaginative side to their contribution.”
In his initial remarks, Moderator Kathirvel Kumararaja highlighted, “Smart adoption of AI isn’t optional; it’s the new baseline for survival and growth in any industry.”
Chief Guest at the Webinar was Dr. Sam Pitroda, an internationally respected telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker and policy maker who has spent 50 years in information and communications technology (ICT) and related global and national developments. Credited with having laid the foundation for India’s telecommunications and technology revolution of the 1980s, Dr. Pitroda has been a leading campaigner to help bridge the global digital divide. Dr. Pitroda opened the webinar with remarks reflecting on the case of AI in daily lives and empowered the speakers and listeners to focus on the “use of AI for People and Planet over Profits and Power.” Dr. Pitroda further added in conversation with Kumararaja said, “Kumar we are gone, you guys need to carry the baton. The younger generation at the helm of AI research holds the key to shaping a future where technology is a force for good—transforming hunger and poverty from persistent challenges into solvable problems.”
Dr. Siddhartha Dalal, a professor and a leading AI researcher at Columbia University with over 100 publications and patents, and a distinguished career bridging academia, industry, and innovation, spoke on the Deeper Knowledge of the latest AI trends. Prof. Dalal, an advisor to many companies and US Government on technologies, shared use-cases of AI across industries and spoke about the advancements he has seen across industries and also from his students who enrolled in his class and went on to become entrepreneurs in their respective businesses with use of AI while following their passion and dreams.
Ms. Vatsala Upadhyay – is Founder & CEO of AI Junoon & Advisor to humanizetech.ai and AI Enthusiast with over three decades of global experience. Vatsala said, “AI is like a pressure cooker in an Indian kitchen. It hisses, it’s mysterious, and you are afraid it might explode. But once you know how to use it, it’s your best friend in the kitchen of ideas.” She further added: “Sometimes, the most meaningful AI stories aren’t about changing the world in one grand leap. They are about changing one person’s world and letting the ripples take care of the rest.”
Speaker Rahul Shukla is President & CEO of S. S. White Technologies and Shukla Medical Products. He is a successful industrialist, a noted writer and, an excellent public speaker. He has encyclopaedic knowledge of old Bollywood movies. Mr. Shukla spoke about role of AI in his personal and professional life by stating “Just because 5% of the times chatGPT may give you inaccurate answers is no reason to walk away from it: Ganga water has some garbage in it but we don’t say we’ll never use water from the Ganga again.”
The final speaker Prashant Gupta is a Distinguished Internet Innovator, public policy advisor and award-winning Author. As an Internet Innovator with over a 25-year career in computing, Prashant has played a pivotal role in shaping the mobile, cloud and AI evolution that empowers modern life, with key contributions to the Motorola Razr and Microsoft Azure. Co-founded Microsoft Accelerator for Startups in 2012 in collaboration with Global Centres in Israel and China.
Mr. Gupta said “The youth must act now—even without coding skills. Start with projects that are simple, free, and scalable so they can grow from a weekend experiment into a community-impact movement. Think in three steps: (1) Data Quality – Ensure you have the right, reliable dataset. (2) Accessible AI – Leverage hyper-scale cloud platforms to build custom models or tap into pre-trained ones. (3) Solution Experience – Design how your insights will be experienced across multiple devices and formats.”
Key Action Items and Initiatives
- In a year or two, if we are not using AI in our daily lives, we will feel like second-class citizens in a first-class world.
- Smart adoption of AI isn’t optional; it’s the new baseline for survival and growth in any industry
- I do not want chatGPT / DeepSeek / Gemini or such tools to just answer my questions. I want them to become my teacher and make me smarter.
- At AI Junoon, we are not just teaching AI. We are nurturing a mind-set that says, ‘I can learn, I can adapt, I can thrive.
- GOPIO to host monthly webinar series covering technology, youth leadership, and healthcare investment
- Next webinar on Ancient Wisdom – Modern Maladies. India’s alternative approaches to health problems set for Saturday September 13, 2025
- Plans launched for international symposium on AI, quantum computing, and tech innovations in early 2026
- Efforts underway to establish GOPIO chapters in Boston, Nashville, South Jersey and Pune through local WhatsApp network. Those interested to join may contact Sid Jain or visit GOPIO.net website.
The event concluded with calls for collaboration, education, and ongoing dialogue among diaspora communities.
GOPIO General Secretary Sid Jain gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks to all in attendance reiterating the key point stated by Sam Pitroda, Chief Guest: shift our thinking from Profit & Power to Planet & People and he added that we all humans should follow the quote: “With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.” The event concluded with calls for collaboration, education, and ongoing dialogue among Diaspora communities.
About GOPIO – Founded in 1989, GOPIO is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, secular organization with Individual Life Members and chapter delegates from over 100 chapters in 36 countries. GOPIO’s volunteers are committed to enhancing cooperation and communication between NRIs/PIOs and the local communities, building networks, bonds, friendships, alliances, and the camaraderie of citizens and colleagues alike. GOPIO volunteers believe that when they help network the global Indian community, they facilitate making tomorrow a better world for the Indian Diaspora, the countries they live in and India.
