On this page, you’ll find a curated collection of key takeaways and analyst insights that capture the spirit and substance of this executive roundtable. We invite you to dive in and experience the bold, unfiltered thinking that defines HFS Research. 

Highlights from this executive roundtable

HFS Research and ITC Infotech convened senior business and technology leaders to examine one of the defining questions of the AI era: how enterprises can create sustainable competitive advantage as AI becomes increasingly accessible. 

Participants discussed the growing challenges associated with scaling AI, including rising model and token consumption costs, protecting proprietary business assets, and maintaining differentiation as foundation models and AI development tools become widely available. The conversation focused on how organizations can move beyond AI adoption and build lasting enterprise value through proprietary data, domain expertise, operating knowledge, and execution. 

Leaders also explored how operating models are evolving to balance innovation, governance, cost efficiency, and intellectual property protection while accelerating AI adoption across the enterprise. 

What we heard

Several themes emerged throughout the discussion:

  1. Competitive advantage extends beyond AI models. Participants agreed that long-term differentiation increasingly depends on proprietary data, domain expertise, operating knowledge, and execution rather than access to AI models alone. 
  2. AI value must be balanced with cost discipline. Leaders discussed the importance of managing model and token consumption while ensuring AI investments deliver measurable business outcomes.
  3. Protecting intellectual property is becoming a strategic priority. As AI becomes embedded in core business processes, organizations are placing greater emphasis on safeguarding proprietary knowledge while enabling innovation. 
  4. Operating models must evolve alongside AI. Participants explored how governance, data management, and enterprise operating models must adapt to support responsible, scalable AI adoption. 
  5. Service providers are being evaluated differently. As access to AI tools becomes increasingly democratized, organizations are placing greater value on industry expertise, execution capabilities, and measurable business outcomes. 
  6. Enterprise knowledge is becoming the new differentiator. Participants emphasized that proprietary enterprise data, process knowledge, and operational expertise are emerging as the strategic assets that will separate market leaders as foundation AI capabilities become increasingly commoditized. 

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            Executive interviews: Perspectives that push the conversation further

            We captured four dynamic interviews that continue the roundtable’s bold conversation. 

            Why AI success depends on outcomes, not models

            In this HFS Research Roundtable interview, Saurabh Gupta, President of HFS Research, speaks with Dinesh Bajaj, President & Head of Americas at ITC Infotech, about what separates successful AI strategies from those stuck in endless pilots.

            Why context is the new enterprise advantage

            In this HFS Roundtable interview, Saurabh Gupta, President of HFS Research, speaks with Sudarshan Byataraya, Chief Capability & Delivery Officer at ITC Infotech, about why enterprise context is emerging as the most valuable strategic asset in the AI era.

            Protecting enterprise value in the AI era

            In this HFS Research Roundtable interview, Steve Dunkerley, Event Producer at HFS Research, speaks with Poornima Couto, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at ITC Infotech, about the importance of protecting enterprise value through AI, thought leadership, and industry collaboration.

            Why enterprise context beats AI models

            In this HFS Research Roundtable interview, Mohan Unnikrishnan, Chief Solutions Architect, Integrated Services Solutions at ITC Infotech, explains why enterprise-specific knowledge, ontologies, and semantic layers are becoming the real differentiators in the AI era.

            What’s next?

            As AI becomes more widely accessible, sustainable competitive advantage will depend less on the models organizations use and more on how they apply them through proprietary data, operating models, governance, and domain expertise. 

            HFS is exploring these themes with industry leaders as enterprises redefine what creates value in the AI era. Let’s connect if you’d like to discuss the insights from this roundtable or your organization’s AI transformation journey. We’d welcome the conversation. 

            This event was produced in collaboration with

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