Hyderabad: The Fifth International Conference on Emerging Techniques in Computational Intelligence (ICETCI 2025), hosted by Mahindra University, convened researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers from across the world to deliberate on recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The three-day event featured tutorials, workshops, keynote lectures, and technical paper presentations on topics ranging from deep learning and sequence modelling to broader applications of computational intelligence. The opening day was dedicated to hands-on sessions, providing participants with practical exposure to new techniques before the main plenary discussions.

Defence, materials, and AI integration

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, former Chairman and Managing Director of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), underlined the importance of computational intelligence in sectors like defence and aerospace. He noted that integrating AI with advanced sensors, IoT, and robotics could reduce material development cycles from decades to just a few years, transforming the pace of innovation in critical industries.

Collaboration across sectors

The Guest of Honour, Vishal Sharma, President of Deloitte Consulting USA (India), highlighted the collaborative dimension of AI adoption. He stressed that academia, industry, and government each contribute distinct strengths—research, scale, and policy support respectively—and must work together to ensure responsible growth. Pointing to the rapid evolution of “agentic AI,” he described it as a likely accelerator for business transformation.

Academic contributions and research exchange

Over 50 institutions, including IITs, IIITs, and NITs, presented papers at the conference. The diversity of contributions ranged from theoretical foundations of computational models to practical applications in domains such as healthcare, natural language processing, and smart manufacturing.

Keynote speakers included Prof. Chandrajit Bajaj (University of Texas at Austin), Prof. Kalyanmoy Deb (Michigan State University), Prof. Akira Hirose (University of Tokyo), Dr. Sameer Jain (Microsoft India Development Center), and Dr. Jeff Adie (NVIDIA Corporation). The valedictory lecture, delivered by Dr. Radhika Mamidi from IIIT Hyderabad, emphasized the growing role of computational intelligence in natural language understanding.

According to Dr. Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor of Mahindra University, the conference reaffirmed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and experiential learning. He noted that such forums encourage the next generation of researchers to pursue solutions that address pressing global challenges. With a mix of academic rigor and industry insights, ICETCI 2025 provided a platform to explore the evolving capabilities of computational intelligence and its potential to reshape multiple sectors worldwide.