India at the helm of AI’s next leap: Nothing, ElevenLabs bet big on voice and smart interfaces

The leaders agreed that India is not just a market, it’s the testbed for global AI innovation. With its young, digital-first population, multilingual landscape, and rapidly evolving user behavior, the country is poised to lead the next tech revolution.

Akis Ecangelidis from Nothing and ElevenLabs’ Siddharth Srinivasan shared insights into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way people engage with devices and content—ushering in an era of seamless, personalized and purposeful tech experiences at Rising Bharat Summit 2025.

CEO pay in India hits Rs 10 Crore Median, 60% of compensation now at-risk: Deloitte Survey

On average, 60% of CXO pay is fixed, with the rest evenly split between short-term and long-term incentives.

Other C-suite leaders, including COOs, CFOs, CHROs, CMOs, and CSOs, also witnessed a pay hike of 7% to 11% over the past year. Among them, COOs and CFOs remain the highest paid after the CEO, with average annual compensation nearing Rs 4 crore.

WATCH: Kunal Shah on AI, creativity, and the future of human adaptation

At Storyboard18's Global Pioneers Summit, Kunal Shah, Founder and CEO of CRED observed, "The biggest disruption will be how humans adapt. High-commitment actions—like having kids—might decline. People may choose perpetual excitement over long-term responsibility."

“Every home has a CTO aged 10 to 18. They’re also becoming the procurement officers. Businesses will cater to them,” Kunal Shah said.

India needs Its own Jambavan: Prasoon Joshi on rediscovering strength in cultural roots

India, he added, has always celebrated “intelligence, not the intelligent”.

Prasoon Joshi, widely recognised for his lyrical storytelling and cultural commentary, struck a chord with the audience as he elaborated on what he sees as India’s most underrated strength. “What we consider our weakness is actually our strength,” Joshi said.

Sport is a passport to the World: Vijay Amritraj calls for cultural shift in India

Discussing India’s 2036 Olympic bid, he encouraged not just hosting but aiming for a top-five medal tally, by focusing on sports where India can win — like shooting, boxing, and women’s sprinting.

Calling for a cultural shift, Amritraj stressed the importance of public-private partnerships, stronger infrastructure, and most importantly, family support. “Parents must be willing to take a chance on sport — even at the cost of traditional education,” he urged.

WATCH: Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, Adarsh Atal, Shriram Iyer on working with ‘secure’ actors for Dream11 ads

Many consider the Dream11 ad a playful, nostalgia-infused battle of team-building. Beyond its script and entertainment value, the campaign is also drawing attention for its massive production scale.

“The actors were completely invested,” Tiwari said in a discussion at Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit. “They were secure enough to laugh at themselves, and that brought a lot of authenticity to the performance.”