AI as a Replacement or Collaborator?: Deep Inder Singh Sandhu Decodes the Future of AI

At the AI Summit and Awards 2026, Mr. Deep Inder Singh Sandhu (SR MD & Director, Chandigarh University) took the stage to speak on ‘AI-First Institutions: People-led, AI-assisted’.

This session was dedicated to the minds and talent that are essential in ensuring India’s AI efficiency and will be the future leading the way in the AI skilling of sectors across India.

Here’s a brief lay down of what he covered in his session.

AI as a Replacement or Collaborator?

Mr. Sandhu claims that Chandigarh University doesn’t use AI to replace a student’s learning journey but to identify students' learning gaps and personalize their educational experience. This involves figuring out their strengths and weaknesses, and suitably assigning the right mentors and opportunities. He stresses the importance of ensuring that while algorithms are smart, India's vision for the future remains compassionate, inclusive, and unmistakably human.

India’s AI Future

Mr. Sandhu confidently claims that the most successful individuals of the next decade will be "hybrids"; individuals who aren’t dependent on AI but skilled enough to use AI as a "digital co-pilot". They will have the art to blend diverse fields like engineering with psychology, art with data analytics, or medicine with AI.

He highlights that India's AI strength lies in nurturing this very talent pool, which also aligns with the government's India AI mission. He envisions India not just participating in the AI race but setting its pace, moving from being the "back office of the world" to its "brain."

Finally, Mr. Sandhu concludes that the consistent need has always been for bright creative minds who are hungry and curious to harness technology's full potential, and in this regard, he is confident that India has a very bright future.

Who is Deep Inder Singh Sandhu?

As Senior MD and Director of Chandigarh University, Deep Inder Singh Sandhu has always been a pioneer of innovation, global collaborations, and technology-driven learning. In his leadership role, Sandhu helps guide the university’s strategic focus on integrating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence into education, research, and student-centric innovation programmes.

With Chandigarh University receiving the AI-first Organization award at the AI Summit and Awards 2026, it becomes clear that Mr. Sandhu and his organization brought academic leadership and representation as the influence of universities is growing in advancing India’s national AI agenda.