Beena Ammanath

Beena Ammanath, Executive Director, Global Deloitte AI Institute, is helping shape the future of applied AI across enterprises. She believes what we’re experiencing isn’t just a new wave of technology, but a fundamental shift in how we work. As she puts it, we’ve got a decades-long reorganization of how we work, not a single invention to deploy, ahead of us.

She believes in anchoring your career on your strengths, staying grounded, and distinguishing signal from noise. “When criticism comes up I ask myself, ‘Does this input improve the decision? Is this person a stakeholder? Does engaging here move us forward?’ If not, I let it go.” It’s that focus that’s guided her through decades in applied AI, where she’s drawn inspiration from the people deploying technology in some of the world’s most high-stakes environments like hospitals, banks, and factory floors. 

Her approach is simple but transformative: start small. “Use AI for low-stakes tasks you’d normally tackle alone and compare the results. You’ll quickly see where it adds value.” She and her team were early with their approach to AI. In 2020, as the world focused on surviving the moment, Beena chose to shape the future, launching Deloitte’s AI Institute at the height of the pandemic. Her forward-thinking leadership turned uncertainty into opportunity, transforming the Institute into a global hub for AI insight and innovation. It’s a powerful reminder that progress often begins with the courage to zig when everyone else zags.