The co-founder of Incedo Inc, a US-based data transformation company, talks about his new book, the digital age, and the synergistic relationship between data and AI
‘Water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink’ is how Nitin Seth, CEO of digital transformation company Incedo Inc, sees data and its management. Seth, who has over 25 years of experience in the consulting, analytics, and technology services industry, is the co-founder of the US-based firm that helps clients achieve competitive advantage through end-to-end digital transformation. The author of two books—Winning in the Digital Age (2021) and Mastering the Data Paradox (2024), Seth has been at the forefront of the conversation of data and AI in NASSCOM forums as well.
Before co-founding Incedo, Seth has previously worked as a consultant and later director at McKinsey & Company; MD and country head at Fidelity International; and as the COO at Flipkart.
In his latest book, which became a bestseller on Amazon within a week of its release, Seth explores the intricacies and possibilities of data in the digital age. He addresses key questions about the role of data-driven AI in fostering innovation and generating value, while also providing strategies for managing the complexities of data effectively. In a conversation with Forbes India, Seth sheds light on data, AI, and the digital age. Edited excerpts:
Q. What inspired you to write Mastering the Data Paradox and what is its central thesis?
The central thesis of the book is ‘Water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink’. That's the paradox from the poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. That's the kind of story with data too. There is a data deluge happening, but at the same time, there's also drought because it's not very easy to get things out of data. We are in the AI age. We can argue about the good or bad of it, but I think we can all agree that it is inevitable. And, if something is inevitable, then you have to deal with it. And if you look at the AI age, the most central piece in that is data. AI is built on three things: Algorithms, compute, and data. Of them, both the hero and the villain is data. That's also the paradox.