TLDR: Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) and the Indismart Group, has been awarded the ‘AI Policy Leader of the Year 2025’ by The Economic Times. This prestigious recognition honors his groundbreaking work in developing and implementing a human-centered AI integration model across the education and hospitality sectors, emphasizing technology as a tool to enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.
Bengaluru, India – Dr. Suborno Bose, a prominent AI evangelist and the visionary Chairman of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) and the Indismart Group worldwide, has been conferred with the esteemed ‘AI Policy Leader of the Year 2025’ award by The Economic Times. The accolade was presented at The Economic Times Making AI Work Awards 2025, an event dedicated to celebrating leaders, innovators, and enterprises that are transforming AI ambitions into tangible, real-world impact through scalable, responsible, and outcome-focused AI solutions.
Dr. Bose’s recognition specifically highlights his pioneering contributions to shaping a human-centered AI integration model within both the hospitality and higher education domains. His approach posits that policy leadership can originate not only from governmental bodies and industry boardrooms but also significantly from academic institutions and classrooms.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Bose expressed profound gratitude, stating, “I am deeply humbled to be conferred the AI Policy Leader of the Year 2025, award. I view it not as a personal accolade but as an acknowledgment of what Indian education has achieved through courage and experimentation. This recognition validates a larger idea — that policy leadership today is not confined to government corridors. It can emerge from classrooms, labs and institutions that dare to reimagine learning through technology.” He further elaborated that what began as an experiment within IIHM has successfully evolved into a comprehensive policy model for responsible, human-centric AI integration in education.
As global conversations surrounding AI ethics intensify, Dr. Bose maintains a clear stance: responsible AI in hospitality is not merely about embedding ‘ethics’ into code. Instead, it necessitates designing systems with a deliberate intent, where technology serves to support and augment human capabilities rather than performing for or replacing them. He advocates for AI to remain largely invisible to guests and practical for workers, functioning as an unobtrusive layer that strengthens human connection and enhances service.
This philosophy is actively implemented within IIHM’s learning ecosystem. Students engage in AI-driven hospitality simulations, participate in zero-waste and sustainability labs, and undergo empathy-based training. Innovative tools such as the GreenRoute Sustainable Travel GPT and the SDG GPT Builder are integrated to reinforce a learning model that treats education itself as a living policy, influencing industry behavior and mindset even before students enter the workforce. Dr. Bose aptly notes, “Policy has meaning only when it reaches people.”
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Through initiatives like Indismart Digital’s ‘AI for Schools’ and ‘AI for All – AI by India,’ Dr. Bose envisions fostering ‘AI citizenship,’ ensuring that every young Indian has access to the necessary tools, mentorship, and literacy in emerging technologies. The ultimate goal is not just to teach students how to use AI, but to empower them to lead with it—responsibly and inclusively. In his book, ‘Harmonising Human Touch and AI: Tourism and Hospitality,’ Dr. Bose underscores that AI must reinforce, rather than replace, human skill. As he articulated in his World AI Day address, “AI must remain invisible to the user, inclusive to the learner, and indispensable to the nation.” He believes the true success of India’s AI movement will be measured by the number of lives uplifted through education, empathy, and opportunity, rather than solely by the sophistication of its algorithms.
