Future of Boardrooms with AI: Insights from Raj Babu at COGNI Chennai
At COGNI Chennai, hosted by MMA and The Federal, Raj Babu of Agilisium and a panel of digital leaders explored how AI is shifting boardroom priorities—from information control to strategic agility—redefining what it means to lead in an AI-powered world.

AI Is No Longer Just a Tool—It’s a Seat at the Table
In a landmark session at COGNI 2025, held in Chennai and co-hosted by the Madras Management Association (MMA) and The Federal, a distinguished panel gathered to explore the theme: “From Insight to Impact: How AI is Entering the Boardroom.”
Moderated by Ranjith Melarkode, Founder of TheNeural, the discussion brought together a powerhouse panel of digital transformation leaders:
- Raj Babu, Founder & CEO, Agilisium Labs
- Jegan Selvaraj, CEO, Thunai AI
- Aparna TA, Head of Enterprise IT Solutions, ManageEngine (Zoho)
- Manish Bafna, SVP of Engineering, Responsive
Together, they explored how AI is not just augmenting executive decisions—it’s reshaping the very DNA of corporate leadership.
Raj Babu’s Core Message
Raj Babu emphasized that AI has commoditized knowledge—rendering information easily accessible to anyone with the right tools. In this new paradigm, contextual thinking, strategic interpretation, and human judgment emerge as the critical differentiators.
He urged leaders to stop seeing AI as a backend utility and start embracing it as a strategic boardroom partner. The future belongs to leaders who can blend domain expertise with machine intelligence to make faster, smarter, more adaptive decisions.
Watch the Session
You can view the full discussion from the COGNI Chennai event here:
Other Key Takeaways from the Panel
- Jegan Selvaraj highlighted the importance of trust layers and explainability in AI governance.
- Aparna TA emphasized embedding AI into enterprise IT in a way that empowers—not replaces—human oversight.
- Manish Bafna spoke about designing for scalability and why AI-readiness must become a board-level priority.
Together, the panel painted a vision of boardrooms that are not just data-informed—but AI-native.