I go to Silicon Valley, walk around to keep up with AI: Former Cognizant CEO D’Souza

Francisco D’Souza, former CEO of Cognizant and co-founder of private equity firm Recognize.

Francisco D’Souza, former CEO of Cognizant and co-founder of private equity firm Recognize, has said keeping abreast of the latest developments on artificial intelligence (AI) doesn’t require formal coursework, just proximity to where the innovation is happening.

“My course is to go to Silicon Valley and walk around. That’s the best way to keep up with what’s going on,” he told Moneycontrol.

He was responding to a question on how he stayed updated on rapid developments in AI, amid the growing importance of the technology in IT services and enterprise transformation.

D’Souza’s comments come as his firm, Recognize, announced the close of its second fund totalling $1.7 billion.

The fund will focus on mid-sized digital services companies that are navigating changes driven by AI and automation.

In addition to conversations with founders and operators in innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Austin, he also draws insights from his academic ties, D’Souza said.

“I’m on the board of Carnegie Mellon University. It’s places like CMU and Stanford, where the core research is taking place,” he added. “If you connect with academia and with businesses that are really doing this work, that’s the best way to learn.”

The firm considers AI impact as part of every investment decision, both in how companies use the technology and how they help clients become AI-enabled, he said.