30 Indian Minds Leading the AI Revolution

IIT Madras' B Ravindran: Championing AI that is not only powerful, but also responsible

The head of Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, has pioneered research in reinforcement learning, shaping national AI policies to create powerful and responsible AI

By Naini Thaker Forbes India Staff

Published: Jun 10, 2025 12:46:50 PM IST

Updated: Jun 10, 2025 12:51:47 PM IST

Full Bio

B Ravindran, Head, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT-Madras

In the late 1980s, a young B Ravindran received a book—Elaine Rich’s Artificial Intelligence—a thoughtful pick by his father from a Singapore airport bookstore. It wasn’t a bestseller or a flashy introduction to AI. It was a textbook. But for Ravindran, it was a revelation.

“It wasn’t even a popular book; it was a textbook. But I started reading it, and that’s what sparked my fascination with understanding how human intelligence works,” he recalls.

What began as early curiosity has since transformed into a distinguished career—pioneering research in reinforcement learning, shaping national AI policies, and championing the development of AI that is not only powerful but also responsible.

Contributions to AI

Ravindran’s academic journey took him from self-study in neural networks to formal research at IISc, where he encountered reinforcement learning—a field that models how humans and animals learn through trial and error. “Reinforcement learning is about trial-and-error learning—like how you learn to ride a bicycle. Nobody tells you how to do it, but you get feedback and improve,” he explains.

His work focuses on making this learning process safer and more efficient for AI agents, exploring how complex tasks can be broken down into manageable parts, just as humans do. He and his students are also developing algorithms that ensure safety during this learning process, akin to ‘training wheels’ for AI systems.

In parallel, Ravindran has been a leading voice in the field of Responsible AI. Two years ago, he founded the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at IIT-Madras, which has become a hub for research, policy dialogue, and technical innovation in ethical AI deployment. The centre works on both theoretical frameworks and practical tools to ensure AI systems are transparent, accountable, and aligned with societal values.

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His influence extends beyond academia. Ravindran was part of the committee that drafted India’s national framework for AI regulation and currently serves on the Reserve Bank of India’s committee for AI in the financial sector.

Ravindran is clear that India’s regulatory approach must be rooted in its own realities and priorities: “We should not toe the lines of what Americans do or what the Europeans do in terms of regulating AI. We have to really think about how we can make sure that the impact of AI on India is not minimised. That’s why I say we need to start thinking about immediate harms, not worry about the futuristic stuff. We can’t afford to do that yet, because we have a lot more that we need to get out of AI.”

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Challenges and the way ahead

The biggest challenge, according to him, is that there are very few technically qualified people who understand the actual AI technology, who are in this dialogue. “Usually these are people who come from the policy or legal side, and are interested in having this conversation,” he says. CeRAI is trying to create this platform where you get people from both sides to come to one place and have this conversation.

Despite his extensive collaborations with companies like Google, Ericsson, Adobe, and IBM, Ravindran notes that such partnerships in India are often driven by individual faculty efforts rather than systemic support. He also highlights the gap between academic research and industry application, particularly in deep-tech startups. “It’s not that people don’t have the skills—but they are in different people. We need to make sure we get the right team together,” he says.

Ravindran believes India has correctly identified its AI priorities—education, health care, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation—but stresses the need for deeper investment and more inclusive research funding. “India as a country has a lot to gain from adoption of AI, because almost in every sector, we don’t have enough skilled manpower,” he explains. “Take education and health care for instance—we don’t have enough skilled manpower, so we have to figure out how to build solutions that can use AI to scale what we have to really uplift the standard of living across the entire country.”

He is also a vocal proponent of building India’s own large language models (LLMs), citing both strategic and technical reasons. “Even open-source models come with hidden biases and limitations. We need control over what goes into these models,” notes Ravindran.

Looking ahead, he envisions India not just as a participant in the global AI race, but as a bridge—connecting innovation with inclusion, and technology with real-world constraints.

“I don’t want to say India should lead the global AI movement—that’s too loaded. But I do believe India should work with the Global South to identify common pain points. We have a lot more in common with Africa, South America, and other emerging economies than with the larger, more developed ones.” He believes that building AI for India inherently means building for the Global South—where affordability, accessibility, and adaptability are not optional, but essential.

(This story appears in the 13 June, 2025 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)