The AI Pulse of Pune: Redefining the Chapter Meetup
How do you get 42 IIMA alumni, spanning 25 years of batches, to spend a Sunday afternoon intensely debating artificial intelligence without it feeling like just another corporate boardroom meeting? Simple: You completely flip the traditional script.
On February 22nd, the Pune Alumni Chapter decided to shake things up. We wanted to move away from the standard format of formal networking events or one-way lectures. Instead, our goal was to create an environment that reflected the real energy of our local alumni—fast-paced, practical, and highly engaging.
We bypassed the usual formalities and kicked things off with a rapid-fire, 20-second lightning round of introductions. This quick exercise instantly broke the ice, levelled the playing field between senior veterans and recent graduates, and set a highly collaborative stage for the afternoon.
The anchor for our meetup was a theme that is on every leader’s mind right now: “AI in Action: Cross-Industry Perspectives.”
To ensure the conversation stayed grounded in reality rather than theory, we brought in fresh insights from the recently held India-AI Summit. But the real magic happened when we tapped into the expertise already sitting at our tables. Before diving into the debate, we wanted to know exactly where the room stood. So, we ran a quick, live “AI Pulse” poll, asking members to identify their current operational approach to AI.
The flavor of the results told a very powerful story. We had exactly zero skeptics in the room. Instead, the overwhelming majority identified as pragmatic “Realists”—operators focused heavily on ground-level execution, finding immediate ROI, and figuring out how to make AI actually work in their daily workflows. They were backed by a strong group of “Optimists” who are driving the big-picture vision of how these tools will fundamentally reshape business models.
This snapshot was a clear indicator that for the leaders in the Pune chapter, the tech hype cycle is officially over. We are no longer wasting time arguing about whether this technology is a passing fad. Instead, the entire room was focused purely on execution, scaling, and managing risk.
What followed was a brilliant cross-fire of ideas. We had alumni swapping real-world use cases, challenging each other’s assumptions, and sharing honest successes and roadblocks. It was the kind of practical intellectual sparring that you can only get when you put a diverse group of IIMA minds in the same room.
After the heavy discussions, we seamlessly transitioned into lunch, keeping the conversations and connections going over good food.
This event was more than just a Sunday get-together; it was a strong step toward building a highly active, execution-focused local community where members can genuinely leverage each other’s expertise. A massive thank you to everyone who showed up and brought such phenomenal energy. If this session was any indicator, the pulse of the Pune chapter is stronger than ever.
– Shreyas Dhore AGMP | 2023-24
