The Future of Communication Technology: Anant Adya of Infosys Cobalt On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up How We Connect and Communicate With Each Other

Expect the unexpected — No one predicted a global pandemic nearly four years ago that would force remote collaboration overnight and leave permanent change. But creativity thrives under pressure, accelerating AI progress even further. We must listen and stay agile.

TThe telephone totally revolutionized the way we could communicate with people all over the world. But then came email and took it to the next level. And then came text messaging. And then came video calls. And so on…What’s next? What’s just around the corner?

In this interview series, called ‘The Future Of Communication Technology’ we are interviewing leaders of tech or telecom companies who are helping to develop emerging communication technologies and the next generation of how we communicate and connect with each other.

As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anant Adya, EVP at Infosys Cobalt, is responsible for the growth of the CIS service line in the Americas and Asia Pacific regions for Infosys. In his 25 years of professional experience, he has worked closely with many global clients to help define and build their cloud and infrastructure strategies and run end-to-end IT operations.

Currently, he works with customers and the industry sales/engagement teams on the digital transformation journey. He defines digital transformation as helping customers to determine the location of workloads, leveraging new age development tools for cloud apps, enabling DevOps, and most importantly, keeping the environment secure and enhancing customer experience.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

With over two decades of experience in the information technology services industry, I’ve had the privilege of working for some of the largest IT companies and serving a diverse range of clients. My career has taken me from Mumbai to Texas and given me the chance to build new teams and business lines from the ground up. From managing new territory in my previous roles at IT infrastructure services companies, to leading large infrastructure services deals at Infosys, I’ve consistently driven growth through relationship building and solution selling. My background spans everything from early work in technical pre-sales to managing profits & loss for strategic accounts as a client partner. I’m passionate about understanding each customer’s unique needs and bringing the best combination of technologies and services to help them modernize their IT and achieve their goals.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

One of my most memorable career experiences was leading a cloud migration initiative for a major financial services client in the early 2010s. With legacy infrastructure being costly, we proposed a bold cost-reduction cloud strategy despite their downtime concerns. We needed to overcome technical hurdles that threatened our tight deadline. Despite these hurdles, thanks to the dedication of my team — we succeeded with building and executing the new cloud environment operation for our client. The experience taught me invaluable lessons — have an audacious vision, assemble brilliant teams, move quickly and maintain quality. With the right partners, any goal — no matter how ambitious — is achievable.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein.

I learned that the obstacles we face spur ingenuity and resilience, forcing us to uncover creative solutions. This shaped why I view challenges as opportunities in disguise. By embracing difficulties and leveraging them to drive progress, we can achieve breakthrough innovations. As a global executive, I strive to understand localized pain points, which inform universal solutions. Taking a broad perspective focused on possibilities over obstacles enables my teams and I to remain agile despite uncertainty. With grit and creativity, any hurdle can become a gateway to growth. I believe great progress emerges when we maintain this opportunistic mindset in the face of setbacks.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Early in my career, I had the privilege of working under an inspiring leader who pushed me to think bigger and believe in myself. As a young professional building my confidence, I was assigned to a major project that was far beyond my experience level. My mentor took a chance on me, investing extensive time coaching and encouraging me. Through their guidance, I gained the skills and perspective needed to drive that pivotal initiative to success. They empowered me to recognize my potential and equipped me with the tools to maximize my abilities. I’m tremendously grateful for their belief in me, which ignited my self-belief and set me on a trajectory toward leadership roles. Good leaders inspire greatness in others, and they instilled in me the grit and strategic vision that fueled my passion for making the impossible possible. I pay it forward by mentoring emerging leaders and helping them unlock their untapped talents.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Throughout my career, I’ve tried to leverage my leadership roles to create positive change on a global scale. This is why I’m proud to work for Infosys, whose mission to expand access to technology and education aligns with my own personal and professional goals. Seeing technology empower people to transform their futures is incredibly rewarding. Beyond our community initiatives, at Infosys, we aim to develop inclusive technologies that drive sustainability and elevate human welfare worldwide. Whether mentoring future innovators or engineering solutions to pressing global issues, we find purpose democratizing opportunity. There’s always more we can do, and I’m grateful to work for a firm that’s committed to delivering both business value and societal value. My hope is that our work will pioneer positive disruption that makes lives better.

Ok wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about the cutting-edge communication tech that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?

At Infosys, we’re pioneering natural language processing solutions that enable more natural human-computer conversations. Our AI engine analyzes linguistic nuances and semantic context to derive enhanced meaning from natural speech in real-time. This technology — what we call, “Infosys Topaz” — allows us to develop intelligent voice assistants that feel more intuitive and attuned to a user’s needs.

How do you think this might change the world?

Anant: I believe advanced natural language processing will fundamentally transform how humans interact with technology, unlocking new possibilities. By enabling truly conversational AI, we can make virtually any interface more intuitive and accessible. This has far-reaching implications for empowering underserved communities through inclusive technology. More broadly, seamless human-computer collaboration can augment human capabilities and enhance productivity. As machines become capable partners in tasks like research, problem-solving and content creation, new avenues for innovation and progress will emerge.

Looking ahead, I foresee AI assistants becoming ubiquitous collaborators in work and daily life. But human values must remain at the core of these advancements. Our team works diligently to ensure AI is trustworthy, ethical and aligned to benefit people. If developed responsibly, NLP can help technology fade into the background, enabling humans to focus on creativity and connection.

Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

While advanced NLP presents immense potential, as with any powerful technology, there are risks we must carefully consider. Conversational AI could lead to job disruption if deployed irresponsibly. At Infosys, we’re thoughtful about developing AI to augment human capabilities rather than replace roles. Ongoing education will also be critical to help the workforce adapt. There are also privacy concerns around data collection required to train such systems. Responsible AI demands data governance and allowing user control.

Bias in algorithms is another issue that can be worked through by testing diverse datasets and establishing oversight processes. We must ensure NLP reflects various populations equitably. Additionally, the ability to generate deceptive, harmful content is a danger. By engineering AI that prioritizes truthfulness and checks facts, we can mitigate these risks.

Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?

The tipping point for me was seeing firsthand how AI could transform businesses and people’s lives for the better. A few years back, I was working with a large retailer who was struggling with supply chain issues. They had massive amounts of data across their operations, but no way to leverage it effectively. As we explored AI solutions, the potential became obvious. By building a predictive inventory management system powered by machine learning, we could significantly reduce waste, shipping delays and stock-outs.

At the end of the day, AI is simply a tool. Our job is to shape it responsibly to uplift human roles. When I see my team use AI to help elderly customers automate their homes for independent living, or support doctors in making faster diagnoses — that’s what makes this work so meaningful. The story of AI is still being written, but I believe we have an opportunity to make it a good one.

What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?

To take conversational AI and other advanced technologies from promising innovations to widespread adoption, a few key ingredients are essential.

First, we need an ecosystem of partnerships. The era of going it alone is over. By bringing together the best minds across academia, startups, big tech and industry leaders, we can develop ethical solutions faster and smarter. I rely on our relationships with cloud providers, chip makers, data analytics firms, and more to stay on top of cutting-edge innovations. Beyond technology, we need to form trust-based relationships with regulators and the public. Being proactive about self-governance and transparency will prevent reactive, overly restrictive policies down the line. We must listen to concerns and clearly communicate capabilities and limitations. Internally, continuous education, upskilling and empathy-building across technical and non-technical staff are crucial. Adoption requires every team member to view AI as an assisting force, not a threatening one.

The pandemic has changed so many things about the way we behave. One of them of course is how we work and how we communicate in our work. How do you think your innovation might be able to address the new needs that have arisen as a result of the pandemic?

The pandemic dramatically changed how we work, accelerating the need for virtual collaboration and conversational AI. My team has responded by enhancing our NLP and machine learning to make AI assistants more useful for remote work — from summarizing meetings to automating IT support.

Looking ahead, our vision is an AI-powered workspace that keeps distributed teams efficient, engaged and connected through virtual meeting assistance, seamless workflows and smarter project management. While work looks different today, human creativity and relationships remain vital. Our aim is to unlock people’s potential so they can focus on building meaningful connections. By accelerating conversational AI responsibly, we can emerge stronger, and my team is committed to building this resilient future.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Partnerships are everything — Our company success has come from our extensive partnerships across academia, tech and industry. They bring fresh ideas and complementary expertise that accelerates innovation.
2. Change is the only constant — I’ve led tech transformation for clients for over 20 years now. The tools change but human needs stay the same. Adaptability and empathy are key.
3. Data is a double-edged sword — Data enables AI but also carries risks around bias, privacy and security. We build trust by prioritizing robust governance and transparency in our data practices.
4. Expect the unexpected — No one predicted a global pandemic nearly four years ago that would force remote collaboration overnight and leave permanent change. But creativity thrives under pressure, accelerating AI progress even further. We must listen and stay agile.
5. Keep learning — Early in my career I thought expertise was enough, but maintaining a growth mindset has been invaluable. I learn from young staffers, collaborate with universities and stay abreast of tech advances every day.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I believe my biggest opportunity for influence is inspiring a movement for responsible technology that puts humanity first. We live in an era of enormous possibility, where innovations like AI can help solve humanity’s greatest problems. But we also face risks that we must mitigate through ethics and governance.

My vision is an “AI for good” movement focused on uplifting people through collaborative, transparent and accountable technology. I aim to foster this by having candid conversations about purpose, building tools for empowerment rather than just profit, and advocating for regulation that thoughtfully governs progress. I know this starts small — seeding principles within my own teams and partners. But each mind we open plants the seeds for a safer, more empowering future. Technology shaped by optimism, not mere efficiency, can transform humanity. If we lead with hope, I believe we can solve the problems that seem intractable today.

Thank you so much for the time you spent doing this interview. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success.