Arvind Karunakaran keynote speaker

Arvind Karunakaran is an organisational scholar and professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, whose research explores how emerging technologies transform the way people work, collaborate and make decisions. His work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, organisational behaviour, digital transformation and the future of work, offering business leaders a research-driven perspective on the human consequences of technological change.

Rather than approaching technology solely through its technical capabilities, Arvind examines what happens when new systems enter real workplaces. His research investigates how employees respond to technology, how professional roles evolve and why the successful adoption of innovation often depends as much on organisational relationships and culture as it does on the technology itself.

A central theme in his work is the relationship between technology, expertise and professional identity. As organisations introduce AI, automation and digital systems, employees may need to reconsider how they demonstrate competence, exercise judgment and establish credibility. Arvind's research helps explain why these changes can create both opportunities and resistance.

He also studies the role of status, power and social relationships in technology adoption. Even when new tools promise greater efficiency, their implementation can challenge existing hierarchies and ways of working. His research provides insights into why some innovations become embedded in everyday practices while others struggle to gain acceptance.

His scholarship draws on close observation of organisations and the people working within them, connecting management theory with the realities of technological change. This approach makes his work particularly relevant to executives trying to understand the gap between investing in new technology and achieving meaningful organisational transformation.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into knowledge work and professional decision-making, Arvind's research raises important questions about trust, human expertise, collaboration, organisational learning and the evolving relationship between people and intelligent systems.

As a speaker, Arvind brings an academic yet practical perspective to some of the most important leadership challenges of the AI era. His insights help organisations move beyond the question of what technology can do and focus on how people, teams and institutions can adapt to use it effectively.