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Leading AI evangelist Dr Suborno Bose, who has brought technology-driven learning into classrooms and positioned AI as a big part of professional efficiency, has been recognised as the AI Policy Leader of the Year 2025 by The Economic Times. The Economic Times Making AI Work Awards 2025 celebrated leaders and enterprises turning AI ambition into measurable, real-world impact through scalable and responsible innovation. The programme recognised individuals driving transformation in policy, governance, and business outcomes through ethical and inclusive technology. This recognition of Dr Bose, Chairman of IIHM and the Indismart Group Worldwide, highlights his pioneering contribution in shaping a human-centred AI integration model within hospitality and higher education. In his acceptance remarks, Dr Bose said the award was not merely personal recognition but a tribute to India’s education ecosystem. “I view this as an acknowledgement of what Indian education has achieved through courage and experimentation. Policy leadership today is not confined to government corridors—it can emerge from classrooms, labs and institutions that reimagine learning through technology,” he said. As global discussions on AI ethics intensify, Dr Bose argues that responsible AI in hospitality isn’t simply about inserting “ethics” into code but designing systems where technology supports people rather than replaces them. His model emphasises AI as an operational enabler that enhances precision, sustainability, and awareness while preserving the emotional connection central to hospitality. Within IIHM, this philosophy translates into a learning ecosystem where students engage in AI-driven hospitality simulations, zero-waste labs, empathy-based training, and sustainability modules using tools such as the GreenRoute Sustainable Travel GPT and SDG GPT Builder. He views education itself as a living form of policy—one that shapes industry practices by embedding values of responsibility, sustainability, and empathy before graduates even enter the workforce. Under Dr Bose’s leadership, IIHM and Indismart Digital Pvt Ltd were chosen by the Government of West Bengal to train students in AI Essentials and soft skills across 50 government and government-aided schools under the Paschim Banga Samagra Shiksha Mission. The initiative introduces AI literacy and value-based learning to students who have never previously interacted with such technology. “This is not a project; it is a trust,” Dr Bose said. “The government’s confidence in an academic institution shows that policy can begin in classrooms.” Through Indismart Digital’s initiatives, such as AI for Schools and AI for All – AI by India, Dr Bose envisions building AI citizenship, where every young Indian can access tools, mentorship, and literacy in emerging technologies. The goal is not merely to teach students to use AI but to lead with it—responsibly and inclusively. In his book Harmonising Human Touch and AI: Tourism and Hospitality, Dr Bose writes that AI must reinforce rather than replace human skill. “AI may become the brain of the world, but the heart will always remain human,” he notes. This belief has positioned India as a thought leader in responsible AI integration. IIHM’s Global Knowledge Sharing Declaration on AI in Hospitality, signed by 60 countries, has built a framework for collaboration among universities, startups, and policymakers. “AI must remain invisible to the user, inclusive to the learner, and indispensable to the nation.” “The future of India’s AI revolution will not be written in algorithms alone,” he said. “It will be written in education, empathy, and opportunity.” -With inputs from PTI
