Invited Speakers
Gaurav Duggal
Title:
When Your AI Decides Faster Than You Can Panic
The Hidden Dangers of Autonomous Agents
Session Abstract:
As we stand in early 2026, agentic AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s actively transforming how enterprises operate, from hyper-automated SOCs that reduce analyst workload by up to 90% to multi-agent workflows executing complex tasks at machine speed. Yet, this extraordinary leap forward brings profound risks that innovation conversations too often overlook.
In my book Agentic AI at Risk: Cybersecurity Challenges and Laws in the Era of Autonomous Agents, I explore how these independent, goal-oriented systems introduce unprecedented vulnerabilities: agents as powerful “autonomous insiders” susceptible to goal hijacking, privilege escalation, and coordinated attacks that outpace human response; massively expanded attack surfaces where agents vastly outnumber people; and critical gaps in accountability, digital trust, and existing legal frameworks.
Drawing from real-world deployments at scale and emerging 2026 trends—like the rise of the “agentic SOC,” shadow autonomy, and AI-driven offense-defense imbalances—this talk cuts through the hype to offer a candid, practical perspective. We’ll examine the shift from prevention to resilience, the urgent need for enforceable governance, and strategies for developers, CISOs, and policymakers to build trustworthy agentic ecosystems.
Join me to understand not just the promise of autonomous intelligence, but how we must secure it before it secures (or compromises) us.
Target audience: Students, early-career professionals, founders, product managers, engineers, and business leaders
About the Speaker:
Gaurav is a deep-tech leader and platform builder with 22+ years of experience architecting, scaling, and monetizing intelligent systems across AI, blockchain, gaming, and space-tech.
At Jio Platforms Ltd, he served as CEO of Kanha.Jio and led the creation of India’s first vernacular AI assistant platform. As India Head at Kore.ai, Gaurav scaled Conversational AI solutions across global enterprises, delivering multi-million dollar impact. Currently, as CTO for Mattix / SVP at Jio, he lead Generative AI and cybersecurity initiatives at national scale.
Gaurav is pursuing a PhD at BITS Pilani focused on Satellite-Based Edge AI—exploring the convergence of space-tech, foundation models, and quantum computing to power the next era of distributed intelligence.
Dr. Venkatesh Rajamani
Title: The New Operating System for Leaders in the Age of AI is here:Abstract:
Unlike what everyone thinks, the AI revolution is not primarily a technological shift; it is a leadership crisis. This session introduces the leadership operating system – a practical science-based framework designed specifically for the age of AI. The framework helps leaders navigate five irreversible shifts reshaping organisations: accelerated decision cycles, hybrid human-AI teams, continuous reskilling, algorithmic influence on strategy, and unprecedented ethical complexity. Participants will learn how modern leaders must evolve across five core dimensions.
1. From control to context
2. From expertise to learning velocity
3. From authority to trust architecture
4. From planning to sensing and responding strategy
5. From managing to designing a system
This session will equip executives, founders and leaders look at leadership with a clear lens, along with a new operating model for the AI era, enabling them to build organisations that remain competitive, resilient and deeply human in an increasingly intelligent world.
Target audience: Founders, Leadership members, Project Managers, Program Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, Product managers, and business leaders
About Speaker
Venkatesh Rajamani is an accomplished transformation leader with 20-plus years of experience in strategy, digital transformation, and leadership evolution. He specialises in the rethinking of strategies and execution for organisations and leaders as they confront the rapidly shifting environment of Artificial Intelligence. He has two doctoral degrees, which illustrate the academic and practical focus of his preparation for leaders in the future of work. These are the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in AI Leadership from Girne American University and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Digital Leadership from PPA Business School, Paris. Venkatesh is recognised for his 2025 research paper on Adaptive Leadership. He was the first to reference this as the subsequent stage of leadership for organisations experiencing AI-driven shifts. Venkatesh is the founder of two learning and transformation ventures. He collaborates with senior executives, leadership teams, and enterprises to devise AI-native strategies, enhance business agility, and build organisations that succeed in perpetual disruption. He is also a visiting professor of practice with Paris School of Business and IIM-V.
