Generative AI is having its “iPhone moment” in 2025 – a disruptive leap redefining how we build and interact with intelligent systems. At the forefront of this revolution are visionary leaders from diverse domains, each pushing the boundaries of AI in unique ways.
From open-source innovators to enterprise AI architects, these GenAI leaders blend deep technical expertise with inspiring leadership. Below, we spotlight 15 GenAI luminaries—their niche specializations, groundbreaking projects, career milestones, and the passion that makes them stand out.
Whether you’re a developer, student, executive, or tech enthusiast, get ready to meet the GenAI experts & Agentic AI experts lighting the way. Their stories showcase not only cutting-edge technologies but also the human drive to turn ideas into reality. Each profile is a source of inspiration and insight, reflecting why these individuals are renowned in the GenAI field.
Top GenAI Leaders to Meet in India in 2025
Dr. Kiran R
Dr. Kiran R is a polymath in practice, a Kaggle Grandmaster, prolific inventor, and seasoned engineering leader, all rolled into one. As Vice President of Engineering at Oracle, he currently spearheads a GenAI-first product suite within Oracle’s healthcare division, building AI-powered solutions on a massive cloud infrastructure.
Kiran’s prior tenure at Microsoft saw him at the helm of one of the decade’s most groundbreaking products: he was Partner Director & GM leading the engineering of Microsoft’s Copilot initiatives. In that role, he guided the teams integrating GPT-powered copilots into tools like Office and Azure, effectively bringing generative AI to millions of users.
An applied ML expert, Dr. Kiran has a track record of taking AI projects from concept to production at scale, including building enterprise MLOps platforms and scalable ML services in the cloud. His career also spans being Senior Director of ML at VMware, showcasing his versatility across domains. Beyond corporate roles, Kiran is a hands-on innovator: he holds 40+ US patents and even achieved a world ranking of #7 on Kaggle’s global data science competition leaderboard. He’s widely renowned for his thought leadership (often sharing best practices on applied AI) and was recognized with awards like VMware’s CTO Award and Dell’s “Innovator of the Year” for his contributions.
Explore their full profile here.
Dr. Qingyun Wu
Qingyun Wu stands at the cutting edge of generative AI, where academic rigor meets open-source innovation. She is the co-creator and co-founder of AG2 (formerly AutoGen) – a leading open-source framework for AI agents that has skyrocketed in popularity (over 700k monthly downloads and a 20k-strong developer community).
With AG2, Qingyun spearheaded a new paradigm of AI where multiple agents collaborate, self-evaluate, and iterate to solve complex problems. Her work is literally reimagining how AI “thinks” together with humans, a vision recognized by the broader AI community. Now an Assistant Professor at Penn State’s College of IST, Dr. Wu brings cutting-edge research into the classroom and lab, focusing on multi-agent systems and responsible AI.
She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia in 2020 and has already garnered top honors – including a SIGIR Best Paper Award and the Best Paper at ICLR 2024’s LLM Agents Workshop. Qingyun’s niche expertise lies in LLM-based agent orchestration: how large models can be made to converse, reason, and work in teams to achieve goals. Her pioneering framework AG2, co-developed with collaborators from industry (Google DeepMind), has become a go-to tool for developers building complex AI agent applications.
Grab your seat at DataHack Summit 2025- she’s guiding a practical workshop titled ‘Mastering Real-World Agentic AI Applications with AG2 (AutoGen)’.
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Dr. Joshua Starmer
Joshua Starmer, Ph.D., has turned statistics and machine learning into a rockstar act – complete with guitar riffs and crystal-clear explanations. Best known as the creator of StatQuest, a wildly popular YouTube channel, he co-founded it into a business that makes complex data science concepts easy to grasp. Josh’s talent for demystifying topics like neural networks or p-values (often through catchy songs or analogies) has made him a beloved figure in the AI community.
But behind the fun is deep expertise: he holds a Ph.D. in Biomathematics and spent years in academia, which informs the rigor of his content. He later bridged into industry, notably becoming the Lead AI Educator at Lightning AI (the company behind PyTorch Lightning), where he developed educational resources to help engineers and researchers use powerful AI tools.
He even runs live workshops (for instance, coding a ChatGPT-like model from scratch) to empower others to understand generative AI under the hood. Recognized as a “venerated figure in data science”, Dr. His influence spans a global audience of AI enthusiasts who credit StatQuest for conquering concepts once found intimidating. And you can join this list by joining his Hack Session on the DataHack Summit 2025 agenda- ‘Quantifying Our Confidence in Neural Networks and AI’.
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Anand S
Anand S wears the intriguing title of “LLM Psychologist,” and for good reason: he delves into the minds of large language models to understand why they do what they do, almost like a therapist for AI. He is the co-founder of Gramener, a renowned data science company known for its engaging data storytelling solutions. At Gramener, which was eventually acquired by Straive, he helped build tools and projects that translated data into visual stories and insights for businesses.
Now at Straive, Anand continues to blend humor, insight, and AI in his work, embodying the role of a storytelling data scientist. Anand’s niche is exploring LLM behavior – he conducts experiments on how models respond under various prompts or conditions, effectively charting their “personality” quirks. He shares these findings widely, often with a witty twist, via blog posts, LinkedIn articles, and talks. In fact, Anand is a regular TEDx speaker and is regarded as one of India’s top 10 data scientists, reflecting his influence in the field.
It is inspiring to see his ability to humanize AI – he treats LLMs not just as black-box models but as entities whose strengths and failings we can analyze, laugh about, and learn from. By doing so, he helps businesses and developers build better, more aligned AI systems.
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David Zakkam
David Zakkam is a powerhouse in applying AI and data science at massive scale. With nearly two decades of experience, he has led data science and analytics teams across some of the world’s most influential tech companies. Currently a Director of Data Science at Uber, David is driving innovation in how the company optimizes its vast ride-sharing and delivery network.
His journey included key leadership roles at Swiggy and Meta (Facebook), giving him a rare breadth of perspective on consumer tech, logistics, and social networks. David’s niche is solving real-world problems with data – whether it’s improving food delivery times, enhancing social media experiences, or balancing Uber’s marketplace in real-time.
At Uber, for example, he has been instrumental in using machine learning for dynamic pricing, demand forecasting, and risk analytics that keep the platform efficient. He also navigated crises like the pandemic by leveraging data to adapt business strategies. Widely respected in industry, David frequently shares insights on how data science can optimize customer experiences and solve complex challenges.
Join his insightful workshop ‘Agentic AI & Generative AI for Business Leaders’ at the DataHack Summit 2025.
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Bhaskarjit Sarmah
Bhaskarjit Sarmah is proving that even in the world’s largest asset management firm, AI can be a game-changer. A Director and Principal Data Scientist at BlackRock, he leverages over 11 years of data science expertise to drive smarter decision-making in finance. Bhaskarjit specializes in applying machine learning and network science to areas like liquidity risk analytics, securities lending, and market regime change detection – critical functions in investment management.
By pioneering these ML solutions, he’s helped BlackRock uncover hidden patterns (for example, spotting pricing opportunities or early-warning signals in markets) that give the firm and its clients an innovative edge. His technical prowess spans NLP and computer vision as well, enabling him to extract insights from unstructured data (think financial news or reports) and turn them into actionable intelligence.
But beyond technical achievements, Bhaskarjit stands out as a thought leader in Responsible AI and AI for finance. He has been recognized as a Top 5 GenAI Leader in India and received NASSCOM’s AI Game Changer award for his contributions. Equally passionate about education, he has taught around 12,000 learners in various programs, including sessions at prestigious institutes like MIT and NYU.
Now you have a chance to catch him live at the DataHack Summit 2025 for an interactive hack session on ‘Detecting and Mitigating Risks in Agentic AI’.
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John Gilhuly
John Gilhuly champions a new frontier in AI: making sure the intelligent creations are understood, measured, and trusted. As Head of Developer Relations at Arize AI, he focuses on open-source tools for LLM observability and evaluation, helping developers monitor and improve LLM performance.
With a unique blend of technical acumen and business insight, John translates complex AI monitoring techniques into accessible solutions. He previously led go-to-market efforts at startups like Slingshot AI and built technical teams at Branch Metrics, giving him a broad perspective from code to customer. John’s niche lies in evaluating AI agents and LLMs, ensuring they align with human expectations.
Under his advocacy, Arize’s open-source projects (like Phoenix for LLM tracing) are empowering the AI community to diagnose models’ “thought processes” and biases. Renowned as an educator and community builder, John frequently shares insights on AI evaluation – from conference stages to blog posts – inspiring professionals to prioritize responsible, high-quality AI. Find him at the DataHack Summit 2025 and attend his insightful hands-on workshop on ‘Building Real-World LLM Agents: Evaluation, Optimization & Monitoring’.
By bridging developers with cutting-edge GenAI tooling, John Gilhuly is helping shape a future where AI systems are as accountable and reliable as they are powerful.
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Alessandro Romano
Alessandro Romano is a dynamic GenAI innovator proving that large language models can drive impact across any industry. With over seven years of experience, he has implemented LLM-powered solutions in domains ranging from logistics to consumer apps.
At Kuehne+Nagel, a global logistics leader, Alessandro applies generative AI to optimize operations – for example, building dynamic pricing models and intelligent supply chain agents. He’s equally known for his passion beyond the office: an accomplished public speaker and community mentor, Alessandro demystifies AI through talks and workshops.
Catch him live at DataHack Summit 2025- he’s running an action-packed, hands-on workshop on ‘Unleashing Multi-Agent Applications with CrewAI’.
He couples strong theoretical foundations with a knack for practical problem-solving. Recently, he’s been sharing his expertise in Agentic AI, teaching developers how autonomous agents can collaborate using frameworks like CrewAI. Alessandro’s niche is bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI research and real-world applications.
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Miguel Otero Pedrido
Miguel Otero Pedrido believes that the best way to learn AI is by building it. As founder of The Neural Maze, he has created a vibrant hub for hands-on machine learning projects, where complex concepts are broken down step-by-step with code, articles, and videos.
His technical background spans natural language processing, computer vision, and multimodal AI, with a special focus on bringing AI assistants to life. For instance, Miguel leads workshops on building full-fledged multimodal agents – like a voice-and-vision powered Telegram assistant that can talk, listen, and see. With expertise in tools like LangChain/LangGraph, vector databases, and diffusion models, he guides developers to assemble all the pieces of an AI system.
But Miguel is not only an engineer; he’s a mentor at heart. He has mentored countless aspiring engineers, emphasizing “going beyond tutorials” to create real-world impact. Under The Neural Maze banner, he shares free content that helps others build production-grade AI (including addressing challenges like scaling and MLOps).
Head to DataHack Summit 2025 and explore ‘Building Intelligent Multimodal Agents: Integrating Vision, Speech & Language’ with him in an engaging, hands-on format.
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Luis Serrano
Luis Serrano is on a mission to democratize AI education, one engaging lesson at a time. A former Google YouTube team engineer and Apple’s Lead AI Educator, Luis has a rare talent for breaking down machine learning into friendly, intuitive explanations. He founded Serrano Academy as an online platform to bring machine learning knowledge to everyone, often through playful analogies, minimal math, and plenty of real-world examples. His book Grokking Machine Learning exemplifies this approachable style – guiding readers to become ML experts using only high-school math and basic Python.
Luis also ventured into the quantum realm as a research scientist at Zapata Computing, exploring algorithms that bridge AI and quantum computing. Now recognized as a Google Developer Expert in ML, Luis also reaches a global audience via his popular YouTube channel (SerranoAcademy) where he teaches topics like calculus, linear algebra, and LLMs with clarity and enthusiasm.
He maintains an inspiring message: anyone can learn and leverage AI with the right guidance, and you have the chance coming up real soon.
Swing by DataHack Summit 2025 to dive into his practical workshop, ‘From Beginner to Expert: Learning LLMs, Reinforcement Learning & AI Agents’.
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Kartik Nighania
Kartik Nighania is a driving force behind the scenes of GenAI – ensuring that powerful models don’t just exist, but run efficiently and reliably in production. As an MLOps Engineer at Typewise (a startup known for intelligent typing and text prediction), Kartik brings over seven years of AI experience bridging computer vision, NLP, and DevOps.
His specialty is the “ops” side of AI: from building CI/CD pipelines for model deployment to architecting infrastructure that can handle real-time inference at scale. Kartik’s career has spanned both startup and enterprise environments. He was formerly Head of Engineering at Pibit.ai, where he led AI-driven automation and scaled infrastructure for a growing company. He also honed his skills at HSBC, optimizing continuous integration systems for machine learning – a crucial expertise in industries like finance.
His current focus at Typewise and in the community is LLMOps – the emerging discipline of operating LLMs efficiently. In fact, Kartik often shares strategies on optimizing LLMs for speed, cost, and accuracy, drawing from his hands-on work in tuning model performance. He has a knack for making complex deployments simple, and for integrating the latest generative models into real-world applications (from smart keyboards to multi-lingual chatbots).
Stop in at DataHack Summit 2025 and level-up with his hands-on workshop, ‘LLMOps – Productionalizing Real-World Applications with LLMs‘.
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Raghav Bali
Raghav Bali is a prolific AI engineer and educator whose career embodies the synergy of cutting-edge development and knowledge sharing. As a Principal Data Scientist at Delivery Hero (the global food delivery giant), Raghav designs and deploys machine learning solutions that operate at global scale. From improving recommendation engines to optimizing logistics with AI, his work directly shapes how millions of customers get their meals. But Raghav’s impact extends far beyond his company.
With a decade in data science under his belt, he has authored seven+ books on AI/ML, covering topics like generative modeling, NLP, and deep learning. These books (including Generative AI with Python and PyTorch) are celebrated for translating complex concepts into practical projects – empowering practitioners worldwide. Raghav’s niche is enterprise AI innovation fused with a passion for teaching. He has a rich portfolio of R&D work: from developing computer vision and NLP systems to filing patents on novel AI applications. Recognized among India’s top data scientists, he also contributes peer-reviewed research papers and speaks at international AI forums.
At Delivery Hero, colleagues know him for implementing AI that tangibly improves user experience and operational efficiency – all while ensuring these innovations are well-communicated and understood by stakeholders. Renowned as a humble leader and a mentor, he often guides aspiring data scientists like he will be doing at the DataHack Summit 2025.
Grab your seat- he’s guiding a practical workshop titled ‘Mastering LLMs: Training, Fine-Tuning, and Best Practices’.
Explore their full profile here.
Manoranjan Rajguru
Manoranjan Rajguru is the kind of AI expert who not only builds advanced solutions but also shapes the conversation around them. As an AI Architect at Microsoft, he specializes in Generative AI and LLMs, helping enterprises design and deploy AI systems responsibly. With over a decade of experience in AI/ML, he has the rare distinction of having excelled in both tech giants and the wider community. Prior to Microsoft, he served as a Data Scientist at Amazon, tackling problems at the intersection of retail and AI.
His writing demystifies complex topics (from the latest in GPT models to best practices in model deployment) and has significantly influenced aspiring AI engineers. In his current role, Manoranjan often operates as a “Global Black Belt” (a term Microsoft uses for top-tier experts) in AI, addressing tough challenges in implementing GenAI solutions for customers.
He is deeply involved in architecting AI systems that are scalable, secure, and aligned with business goals. For example, he might guide a client in building a voice-based intelligent agent or a custom GPT-powered knowledge base – always with an eye on performance and ethics.
Be at DataHack Summit 2025 to experience his high-octane hack session, ‘AI Voice Agent: The Future of Human-Computer Interaction’.
Explore their full profile here.
Dipanjan Sarkar
Dipanjan Sarkar is a stellar example of a multi-faceted GenAI professional – he’s an industry leader, a prolific author, and a recognized expert who actively uplifts the community. Currently working as the Head of Community and Principal AI Scientist at Analytics Vidhya, Dipanjan works on large-scale intelligent systems that leverage machine learning and deep learning to solve real-world problems. Over his career, he has spearheaded advanced analytics initiatives at Fortune 500 companies like Applied Materials and Intel, and contributed to open-source projects at Red Hat.
But what truly sets him apart is his dedication to sharing knowledge. DJ has authored multiple acclaimed books (over 7 titles) on machine learning, NLP, and deep learning – from Text Analytics with Python to Generative AI with Python and PyTorch. These works have become go-to resources for practitioners, known for their hands-on approach.
Recognizing his contributions, Google honored him as a Developer Expert in Machine Learning in 2019. He was also named among the Top 10 Data Scientists in India in 2020, underscoring both his technical excellence and influence. Dipanjan’s niche lies in applied machine learning and education: he excels in building solutions (spanning NLP, computer vision, and recommender systems) and then articulating the how’s and why’s through tutorials, courses, and talks.
In every role, Dipanjan balances hands-on development with mentorship – for instance, advising startups, instructing at data science academies, and beta-testing MOOCs for Coursera. Renowned for his approachable teaching style and deep expertise, he inspires GenAI enthusiasts to continuously learn by doing.
Meet him at DataHack Summit 2025 and roll up your sleeves in his immersive session on ‘Mastering Intelligent Agents: A Deep Dive into Agentic AI’.
Explore their full profile here.
Hitesh Nayak
Hitesh Nayak has built a reputation as a versatile data science leader who can inject Generative AI innovation into any domain. Currently the Director of Data Science at Brainlabs, he brings 12 years of hands-on experience to the table. Hitesh has literally done it all: he’s built high-performing AI teams, developed impactful models, designed training programs, and crafted AI-driven business strategies – and, as he humorously admits, dealt with the occasional production disaster along the way.
His career spans a rich array of industries: retail and e-commerce, banking/finance, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and even manufacturing. In each sector, Hitesh has applied GenAI in context-specific ways – from personalization systems in retail to predictive analytics in finance and supply chain optimizations in CPG.
What truly drives Hitesh is seeing AI create real-world value. He often says that the thrill comes from one good algorithm making a tangible difference – whether it’s boosting a metric or improving a customer’s experience.
Grab your seat at DataHack Summit 2025- he’s guiding a deep-dive hack session titled ‘Model Context Protocol in Media: Choosing the Right Metrics & Strategy’.
Explore their full profile here.
Want to Catch them all in One Place?
There’s no better time to follow these top GenAI leaders, agentic AI experts, and generative AI innovators. Whether you’re a researcher, a product builder, or just GenAI-curious- these leaders are the ones pushing boundaries.
But here’s the kicker: What if you could meet them all in one place?
Join us at the DataHack Summit 2025, happening August 20-23 in Bengaluru, India– where these brilliant minds will gather to talk, teach, and transform the future of AI.
This isn’t just an event- it’s the destination for anyone getting to learn and grow in Generative AI and Agentic AI.
With a career spanning 5 years, Swati has worked with top institutions to curate content for them.
A software engineer, data science enthusiast, and a stickler for grammar who always jumps at every chance to explore food, life, and mysterious theories. A Potterhead with a passion for Psychology, she is always up for learning new theories on life. She finds herself amused with books, podcasts, and vlogs that add value to life.
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