Indian Universities Are Chasing AI Leadership, But Do They Even Understand It?

Leadership with AI: The Grand Illusion of Universities

In the world of higher education, a new buzzword has emerged—AI Leadership. Universities across premium institutions in India are clamoring to establish themselves as pioneers in artificial intelligence, boasting programs, certifications, and research centers that claim to shape the future of AI-driven leadership. But here’s the inconvenient truth: these institutions have barely scratched the surface of real AI innovation.

For decades, universities have ridden the waves of every trending technological term—Business Intelligence, Big Data, Business Analytics, and now, AI Leadership. The pattern is predictable: rename outdated courses, update the slides, and rebrand old professors as AI experts. Yet, when we step back and assess what these institutions have truly contributed to AI, the results are underwhelming.

Consider the most significant breakthroughs in AI over the past decade: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing Chat, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini. How many universities in India can claim to have built anything remotely close to these? How many can even boast an in-house large language model (LLM) with capabilities beyond a glorified chatbot? The answer is: almost none.

Indian universities, in particular, are running like headless chickens in the AI race. They are in a mad scramble to rebrand old programs with AI buzzwords, yet they lack the infrastructure, talent, and research capabilities to make a real impact. Most so-called AI research is limited to publishing papers in journals that nobody reads rather than building practical AI solutions. The faculty members, in many cases, have little to no experience working on real-world AI projects, and the industry collaborations they boast of often amount to superficial partnerships.

Instead, these institutions continue to market themselves as AI thought leaders while relying on outdated methodologies. Their “AI leadership” courses often consist of PowerPoint slides on machine learning algorithms, taught by professors who have never built a working AI system themselves. Worse still, their research remains locked behind paywalls, inaccessible to the very industries they claim to serve.

The irony is that AI leadership is not being shaped by universities but by technology companies, independent researchers, and open-source communities. The real advancements in AI are happening outside the academic sphere—driven by startups, independent engineers, and organizations willing to experiment, iterate, and take risks. AI is evolving through real-world applications, not theoretical discussions confined to lecture halls.

Universities in India, instead of focusing on hype-driven courses, should redirect their efforts toward hands-on AI development. They should fund real research, encourage students to build AI models from scratch, and create environments where experimentation is valued over academic gatekeeping. AI leadership cannot be taught through recycled business analytics frameworks—it must be experienced through creation, failure, and iteration.

The hard truth is that Indian universities have lost their mojo. They were once the epicenters of innovation, but today, they play catch-up. Unless they radically transform their approach—fostering genuine AI research, embracing open-source contributions, and creating tangible AI products—they will remain mere spectators in the AI revolution.

It’s time for universities to stop pretending and start building. The AI era is here, and leadership won’t be claimed through buzzwords—it will be earned through action.