Responsible AI cannot be an afterthought, needs to be part of DNA: Infosys CTO Rafee Tarafdar
A Mechanical Engineering graduate from Karnatak University, Rafee Tarafdar is passionate about social impact and personally mentors the Tech For Good programme at Infosys.
| Mar 22, 2025, 10:27 IST
Mohammed Rafee Tarafdar is CTO of Infosys, and is responsible for the technology vision and strategy at the company. He founded the Strategic Technology Group, a global team of technology leaders, full stack architects and power programmers working on complex digital, cloud and AI programmes for enterprise clients of Infosys and Infosys platforms.
Infosys is embedding responsible artificial intelligence (AI) into its core operations, ensuring it is integral to the company's DNA rather than an afterthought, according to Chief Technology Officer Mohammed Rafee Tarafdar. The company's 'AI-First' strategy emphasizes a 'responsible by design' approach, enhancing existing frameworks to address critical AI-specific areas such as regulatory compliance, reproducibility, explainability, fairness, privacy, security, safety, intellectual property protection, and traceability. This framework is applied to all AI use cases, with risks and mitigation strategies discussed with stakeholders, and policies codified into the AI engineering lifecycle to ensure automation and compliance.
Infosys is also developing specialized AI models as part of its core intellectual property, aiming to amplify employee potential, unlock organizational knowledge, and create client value. The company has rolled out AI assistants for coding, learning, knowledge management, and client-facing teams, powered by a digital brain that consolidates structured and unstructured data. These initiatives are part of Infosys's effort to transform into an AI-first enterprise, embedding AI into every aspect of work to create value.
To support this transformation, Infosys has implemented a three-tier AI talent strategy:
AI Aware: Making all employees aware of generative AI technologies and how AI assistants can enhance productivity and client relevance.
AI Builders: Training individuals to reimagine experiences and processes to build industry-specific AI-led solutions.
AI Masters: Developing experts who understand the intricacies of machine learning, deep learning, and large language models, working on complex problems like fine-tuning, pre-training, runtime optimization, and responsible AI.
This comprehensive approach aims to drive adoption and excitement about AI's potential among employees, positioning Infosys to capitalize on emerging trends and maintain a competitive edge in the evolving IT landscape.