BITSoM Establishes AI Centre 'BRAIN Lab' to focus on BFSI, GCC, Manufacturing

To drive Use-Case based approach to address business applications of AI. Use cases to be made freely available to academic institutions and researchers

BITS School of Management (BITSoM) has started BITSoM Research in AI and Innovation (BRAIN) Lab. This initiative is specifically designed to create leaders for workplaces that will be heavily influenced by AI.

As per a statement issued by the institute, tThe BRAIN Lab's operational framework is structured around three foundational pillars: teaching, research, and outreach. The Centre will conduct industry-focused research aimed at creating a repository of use-cases, develop curriculum-relevant courses for students, facilitate AI project and product development contests, foster AI startups through an accelerator and actively participate in public policy discussions and partnerships with both industry and governmental bodies.

The research lab would focus on manufacturing, healthcare, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) industry. The Centre intends to engage directly with these sectors through industry projects, with the aim of developing a repository of use-cases that will be made freely available to academic institutions, researchers, and businesses.

Commenting on the establishment of the Centre, Prof. Saravanan Kesavan, Dean and Professor of Operations, BITSoM, stated, “The launch of this AI Centre - BRAIN Lab reflects our commitment to shape the future of business education and practices in a world where AI is everywhere. Our vision for the BRAIN Lab is to harness AI’s potential through impactful research that matters to the industry, teaching that equips our students for the jobs of tomorrow, and outreach, ensuring AI benefits society at large and not just shareholders. As business educators, we want to prepare leaders who ask hard questions: should you build this AI, who will benefit, and who will be left behind. BRAIN Lab will not shy away from these questions. The balance between excitement and caution, possibility and responsibility, is where the work lies for us.”

Viswanath Ramaswamy, Vice President, Technology, IBM India & South Asia said, "We are witnessing the next great revolution in how businesses are driven. Just as past technological eras transformed industries, AI is now fundamentally enhancing human productivity and creating new revenue streams. The critical question for every organisation today is: 'Are you an AI-first organisation, or is AI a post-facto thought? Those thinking of AI as post-facto will be left behind. Crucially, remember: 'There's no AI without IA' – no Artificial Intelligence without robust Information Architecture. And as we embrace AI, we must do so responsibly, with fairness and deep governance.”

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