What does the future look like when management, technology and career collide? At the Hindu and SRM Institute of Science and Technology’s future career conversation series held on Thursday, the responses were both exciting and interesting.
Moderated by Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu, the session brought together voices from governance, law and technology to develop a fast-changing landscape.
“We have reached a stage where all our land records are digitized,” said Atulya Misra, state information commissioner, Tamil Nadu, pointing out the extent to which digitization has already taken root. But the real test, he suggested, lies ahead, especially in systems like the judiciary, burdened with a backlog of nearly six million cases.
Artificial intelligence, he noted, could begin to change that equation. “Where we used to handle 6,000 of 30,000 files, today we’re able to handle 29,000,” he said, describing the shift as less about replacement and more about augmentation. Artificial intelligence can help make advance judgments, with human intervention where it matters most.
The quest for immediate rule
“Can you imagine a situation where no one visits a government office,” asked Santhosh Babu, Principal Secretary and MD, KITFRA, Government of Kerala.
For him, the promise of generative artificial intelligence is simple, “the idea is free time for people.” Yet he pointed to the contradiction that while governments prescribe systems for efficiency, they often do not follow them internally.
In an age defined by immediacy, he argued, governance must evolve to meet the expectations of a generation that lives “by the minute, by the second.” Seamless services, like something as routine as generating a marriage certificate, are no longer just aspirational, but instantly expected.
Scope costs
When Dr. Babu delved into concerns around data privacy and the cost of losing citizen data, calling India “grossly underinvested” in privacy protections and stressing the need for stronger systems even as digital governance expands.
P. Sree Sudha, Dean, SRM School of Law, highlighted the legal aspect, talking about how global frameworks, especially in Europe, allow citizens to question how their data is being used. India is also moving in this direction, where data localization standards and cyber security regulations are beginning to take shape. The implication for students, she noted, is clear: the future will require not only domain knowledge but also adaptability.
Murali Sundaram, senior technology consultant, head of Special Interest Group for AI, IIT Madras Research Park, was blunt to the youth. “You and you alone can do it for yourselves,” he said. With technology entering a phase of abundance, the real differentiator will be the ability to solve problems. If this session made one thing clear, it’s this: the future doesn’t wait, it’s here, it’s faster, it’s smarter, and it’s asking harder questions than ever before.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 22:57 IST
