AI can generate answers.
But can it help us build judgment?

In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Ramya Sampath Sharma, CHRO of Saint-Gobain India, to explore how AI is reshaping work, careers, leadership, and learning.

We discuss a question that doesn't get enough attention:
As AI automates more entry-level and repetitive work, how will the next generation develop the depth, expertise, and judgment that traditionally came from doing that work?

We also explore:
• The skills that will become more valuable in an AI-first world
• Why depth and subject-matter expertise still matter
• The future of careers and leadership
• AI's impact on inequality and inclusive growth
• What organizations can do to build trust during periods of disruption
One idea stayed with me long after the conversation: AI may generate answers, but judgment is still earned.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction — AI and the Future of Work
02:44 Building High-Performance Teams and Talent Systems
08:58 Why Culture Matters More Than Individual Brilliance
17:51 How AI Is Changing the Nature of Work
23:44 The Skills That Will Matter Most in the AI Era
28:49 Can Young Professionals Still Build Judgment?
33:58 AI in the Enterprise: Adoption, Challenges and Opportunities
38:10 Rapid Fire
40:30 Will AI Increase Inequality in India?
47:14 Leadership, Trust and Human Judgment in the Age of AI
57:46 The Vision of India

Resources:
Find Ramya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramyasampathsharma/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Ramya on X: https://x.com/ramyassharma
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411

Everyone is talking about AI.
But a more important question is:

Where will durable value actually be created?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Narendra Bhandari, General Partner at Sea Fund, to discuss the future of AI, deep tech investing, and India's opportunity to build globally relevant technology companies.
We explore why some AI companies will create lasting advantage while others may struggle to differentiate, what investors look for in deep-tech startups, and what must be true for India to build durable AI businesses.

Some of the questions we tackle:
• Is AI creating a platform shift comparable to the internet or mobile?
• Where will defensible moats emerge in the AI ecosystem?
• How should founders think about deep-tech versus application-layer opportunities?
• What are the biggest challenges facing AI startups today?
• Does India have a structural advantage in the AI era?
• What separates enduring companies from short-lived hype cycles?

One idea that stayed with me from this conversation:
Technology waves create opportunities. Durable companies are built by those who create lasting differentiation.

If you're a founder, investor, operator, or simply interested in the future of AI and deep tech, I think you'll enjoy this discussion.
0:56 – Introduction: Why AI deep tech in India matters
2:20 – Is this AI wave different? Why it's not just another hype cycle
6:13 – The AI stack: Infrastructure, models, and where startups should play
15:23 – Deep tech vs. software: How physics and chemistry change the investment timeline 24:10 – Where does value actually accrue — infrastructure, models, or applications?
41:15 – Speed round: VC pitch pet peeves and founder philosophy
47:15 – What must hold true for AI deep tech to succeed in India
54:05 – India's constraints: Capital, compute, and data — are they real?
58:04 – India's IT services industry: Disruption threat or massive AI opportunity?
1:07:38 – What makes a great deep tech founder
1:14:20 – Final Question: India's $100B+ sectors and the research culture gap
1:22:18 – Closing thoughts: "It's a great time to build"

You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
If you enjoy conversations like this, please subscribe, share, and let me know your biggest takeaway in the comments.

Resources:
Find Narendra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narendrabhandari/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411

All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.

Can AI + India Stack become a global model for digital infrastructure?

India has built something few countries have: digital rails at population scale. But what happens when AI is layered on top of Aadhaar, UPI and public digital infrastructure?

In this episode of Chai & Chips, Om and I explore a bigger question:

Could India have a unique advantage in the AI era because of its digital public infrastructure?
We discuss:

• Why India Stack may matter even more in the age of AI
• How AI could transform public infrastructure at massive scale
• The opportunities and risks ahead
• What must be true for India to lead in this next wave

One idea from this conversation stayed with me: AI alone may not be the advantage. AI + infrastructure might be.

If that interests you, I think you’ll enjoy this episode.

Chapters:
01:00 - Introduction — What Must Be True for AI in DPI?
04:17 - Om’s Journey into India’s Digital Public Infrastructure
08:44 - Why India Stack Is Different from the Rest of the World
14:25 - The Core Building Blocks: Identity, Payments and Trust
26:52 - Opportunities at Population Scale: Health, Services and Inclusion
31:49 - Consent, Privacy and the Governance Challenge
42:10 – Ayushman Bharat – Risks, Opportunities & Impact
50:58 – Rapid Fire
54:07 – Why our R&D is weak; Case for India as a Use Case Factory
01:07:08 - Building AI Applications on Top of India Stack
01:10:33 - How to Build for Trust at Population Scale
01:21:53 – Final Question – Vision for India

You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe to Chai & Chips for conversations with founders, operators, investors and thinkers building the future of India.

Resources:
Find Om on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omprakash-subbarao-5372564/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411

All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.