Digital
SEPC joins forces with IAMAI to script India’s next big digital export success story
MUMBAI: In India’s thriving bazaar of code and content, two powerhouses have shaken hands to push bytes across borders. The Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to jointly drive the country’s digital services exports into high gear.
The partnership aims to remove policy potholes, expand international market access, and prepare the country’s emerging digital sectors for the global stage. The MoU sets the stage for institutional collaboration across several fronts—from building working groups with ministries to participating in overseas delegations and trade shows.
Under the agreement, SEPC and IAMAI will:
● Establish joint working groups with ministries and regulators to resolve policy and trade bottlenecks for digital exporters.
● Coordinate India’s participation in global trade forums and business delegations, creating pathways for startups and digital ventures to enter international markets.
● Organise capacity-building programmes to ensure India’s digital sectors are export-ready.
● Promote high-potential verticals including AdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, SaaS, Digital Entertainment, Edutech, Agri Summit, and Cross-Border E-commerce.
“India’s digital sector holds immense potential in the global services economy. Through this partnership with IAMAI, we aim to create meaningful opportunities for digital enterprises to grow their international footprint and benefit from structured policy and trade support”, said SEPC director general Abhay Sinha.
IAMAI president Subho Ray added, “This MoU reinforces our commitment to building a robust ecosystem for digital services exports. By working closely with SEPC, we can jointly support Indian digital innovators in accessing global markets and driving the next phase of India’s export growth story”.
While India has already cemented its name as a global IT outsourcing heavyweight, this pact shifts the spotlight to a new generation of digital players. From SaaS to streaming, from edtech to agri-tech, the initiative focuses on future-facing sectors that could define India’s next trillion-dollar export ambition.
The MoU marks a decisive step in bridging industry with the government, injecting India’s digital export engine with both structure and scale. With policy in sync and the global market in sight, India’s digital disruptors may soon be trading in new time zones.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
