Mint AI Summit Champions Ethical Technology for Social Good
The transformative power of Artificial Intelligence to drive positive social change took center stage at the second edition of Mint All About AI Tech4Good Awards and Summit, sponsored by Salesforce. Held in Mumbai on November 28, the event united industry pioneers, innovators and government representatives to celebrate AI applications that strengthen communities, foster inclusion and address critical challenges in sustainability, healthcare, education and financial access.
AI with Purpose: Human Potential Augmentation
In his opening remarks, Binoy Prabhakar, Chief Content Officer of HT Digital, set the tone by emphasizing that AI reaches its true potential not by replacing humans but by enhancing their capabilities. "At Mint, we have always believed that the real story of AI isn't about machines replacing humans. It's about humans redefining what's possible with machines," he stated, capturing the event's core philosophy.
The initiative demonstrated remarkable growth, receiving nearly 300 nominations from India, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines – almost triple the previous year's participation. Categories spanned disability inclusion, sustainability, livelihoods, education, sanitation, agriculture and financial access, reflecting the expanding maturity of India's AI-for-good ecosystem.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO of Salesforce South Asia, delivered a powerful welcome address about the crucial need for ethical technology deployment. She described technology as "an unwavering enabler, the courageous bridge that connects the disconnected" while cautioning that innovation without compassion could widen social divides. She urged businesses to focus on practical, long-term solutions, adding: "Let us innovate not just for fleeting convenience but for lasting impact."
India's Sovereign AI Imperative
In a virtual keynote address, Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog, made a compelling case for India to develop sovereign AI capabilities. He warned that dependence on foreign AI models could compromise both economic and national security interests.
"For a technology as important as this, it is imperative for our country to develop sovereign capabilities… or else our own data will be used to power services owned by others and sold back to us," Kant emphasized. He called for India to take bold steps in building a comprehensive end-to-end AI ecosystem, noting the country's immense opportunity for global impact.
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and IT, reinforced India's digital progress by highlighting the country's successful digital public infrastructure. "India's digital public infrastructure story is a shining example of how technology can empower people and expand access to public services," Singh stated.
Practical AI Implementation and Responsible Scaling
The summit featured insightful discussions on effective AI implementation. A fireside chat between Arundhati Bhattacharya and Raghav Gupta, Head of Education for India and Asia Pacific at OpenAI, explored generative AI's revolutionary potential in education and the importance of teaching responsible AI usage to young learners.
Two panel discussions provided practical perspectives. The first, moderated by Leslie D'Monte, Consulting Editor at Mint, focused on 'Scaling AI responsibly with new technologies'. Panelists including Rucha Nanavati, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Mahindra Automotives, shared that companies are now asking "What can AI do for me?" rather than fearing job displacement.
The second panel, moderated by Abhishek Singh, Deputy Editor at Mint, examined 'Data for Good: Making Responsible AI Work at Scale'. Rahul Matthan, Partner at Trilegal, summarized the national benefit: "AI is a necessity for India to flatten its development trajectory and achieve its goals."
Celebrating Groundbreaking AI Innovations
The awards ceremony recognized exceptional AI solutions making tangible differences across sectors. This year marked the first international expansion with entries from Southeast Asian countries Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines.
Notable award winners included:
Sarvam AI won Gold in disability inclusion for developing a multilingual generative AI platform supporting 11 Indian languages, enhancing inclusion and digital sovereignty.
EcogenX Innovations received Gold in sustainability for transforming waste management into a predictive ecosystem, diverting over 12,000 tons of waste from landfills.
Rezo.ai earned Gold in financial inclusion by deploying an agentic AI platform that improved debt collection efficiency to 96-98% and reduced loan approval time to 48 hours.
Sickle Innovations Private secured Gold in agriculture for creating an AI optical grading system that boosted accuracy to 95% and tripled sorting speed while cutting labor costs by 40%.
Remidio Innovative Solutions won Gold in health for enabling instant, affordable eye screening through AI, reducing costs by 80% and helping Kerala screen 4 lakh rural citizens annually to prevent blindness.
Niveda Foundation received Gold in education for deploying AI-driven learning analytics that cut dropout rates from 40% to 12% and improved job placements by 45%.
Special recognitions included the Young Innovators Award to Sudhanshu Yadav for developing an AI learning assistant and Women Innovators Award to Patenti Technology Solutions for creating an AI-driven IP analysis engine.
Building an Ethical AI Future
The Mint All About AI Tech4Good Awards and Summit 2025 concluded with a clear, optimistic message: AI's true potential lies not in technical complexity but in its capacity to serve humanity. The event successfully demonstrated that AI represents one of the most powerful tools available for building a more inclusive, sustainable world where technology amplifies human potential rather than replacing it.
