IIM Ahmedabad spotlights digital public infrastructure

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad hosted the second edition of the India Conference on Information Systems, bringing academics and industry leaders together to discuss Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the future of the information systems field.

Known as InCIS 2026, the event was held on IIM Ahmedabad's campus in collaboration with the Association for Information Systems India Chapter. The conference attracted more than 250 participants from India and overseas.

DPI focus

This year's theme was "Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for a Sustainable and Sovereign Digital Future". Discussions explored DPI's implications for platform ecosystems, data governance and digital identities. Sessions also examined digital divides, sustainable development and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in organisations.

InCIS 2026 featured 14 research tracks spanning digital technologies and information systems, from digital business and commerce and collaborative technologies to security and privacy, human-technology interaction and analytics. The programme also included a practitioners' track.

More than 190 research papers were submitted by researchers in multiple countries. Participants included scholars, policy researchers, developers, industry practitioners, community leaders, doctoral students and early-career researchers.

Opening remarks

The opening session included Prof Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM Ahmedabad; Prof Pankaj Setia, Conference Chair; Prof Sujeet Sharma, President of the AIS India Chapter; and Prof Alok Gupta, Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Information Management at the University of Minnesota.

In his keynote, Bhasker outlined how the information systems discipline has evolved beyond transactional efficiency to focus on extracting knowledge from data generated by digital systems.

"Today AI has pushed Information Systems into a new frontier, requiring professionals to focus on applying technology to real-world problems and driving innovation. At the same time, it has also provided IS professionals with the opportunity to be at the forefront. Information Systems professionals are now positioned to lead in areas like process automation, predictive maintenance, and addressing biases in AI systems," said Prof Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM Ahmedabad.

DPI examples

In his conference keynote, Setia pointed to Indian DPI systems including UPI, DigiLocker and DigiYatra. He described them as foundations for a new digital age, while arguing that organisations and individuals must still change how they work with digital technologies.

"Digital public infrastructures such as UPI, DigiLocker, and DigiYatra are laying the foundations of a new digital age in India. The real impact will happen when there is a deep transformation in how organisations function and how individuals interact with digital technologies. Purpose-driven thinking is the core which interconnects individuals, organisations, as well as technology, and is essential to ensure that digital transformation creates a meaningful impact," said Prof Pankaj Setia, Conference Chair.

AI and decision-making

Alok Gupta delivered the academic keynote, urging delegates to consider artificial intelligence in relation to human expertise and decision-making.

"The strength of human beings has always been our mental ability to think and create with our minds. AI does not emphasise compatibility with human decision-making. It can be used to extract human knowledge and understand our strengths and weaknesses. If we use AI as a mirror to reflect on how we think and make decisions, we can develop a more explicit understanding of our own processes. That understanding can help us improve ourselves and build on our capabilities with the support of AI," said Prof Alok Gupta.

Industry perspectives

The final day featured an industry keynote from Dr R. S. Sharma, a Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur and former Secretary to the Government of India. He previously served as DG and Mission Director at UIDAI, which runs the Aadhaar identity system.

Sharma spoke about the evolution of India's DPI landscape and outlined design principles behind systems including Aadhaar, UPI, Ayushman Bharat Mission and CO-WIN.

"Any digital solution built for India must take into consideration the country's unique diversity. We have great social, cultural, geographical, infrastructural, ethnic, religious, and educational diversity, and therefore, a different approach is needed to develop inclusive solutions," said Dr R. S. Sharma.

He also shared his view of why India's DPI systems have gained traction across a large population and a wide range of sectors.

"Our DPIs are succeeding because their design is tailored to India's needs. They are frugal and low-cost, scalable by design, inclusive and encourage diversity, have minimal public-sector intervention, contain robust and cutting-edge technology, and are interoperable. We are now on our way to build more DPIs in diverse sectors," said Sharma.

Panel session

The programme also included a panel discussion on DPI and India's digital transformation, moderated by Prof Samrat Gupta, Programme Co-Chair for InCIS 2026.

Panellists included Dr Pankaj Dikshit, Executive Director and Chief AI and Digital Officer at Cygnet.One; Sanjay Moralwar, Chief Information Officer at Senores Pharmaceuticals; and Tarun Vijh, Chief Information Officer at HyFun Foods. They discussed issues such as scalability and interoperability across DPI systems including the Government e-Marketplace and Aadhaar, as well as balancing innovation, data security and multi-party collaboration.

IIM Ahmedabad said InCIS will continue as a forum for research and practitioner discussion on information systems and digital technologies. Future editions are expected to track the expansion of India's DPI work across additional sectors.