IAIRO Appoints AvenuesAI's CEO Vishal Mehta as Technical Advisor

India's AI Ambitions Gain Momentum with Key Appointment

The Indian AI Research Organisation (IAIRO), a rapidly rising institution at the centre of India's sovereign artificial intelligence ambitions, has appointed veteran technologist Vishal Mehta, CMD of AvenuesAI Limited, as Technical Advisor. This move is seen as a significant acceleration of the country's bid to build independent, world-class AI capability.

Mehta brings decades of experience in building and scaling technology and digital infrastructure businesses in India. His extensive background in entrepreneurship, technology platforms, and AI-led innovation is expected to contribute meaningfully to IAIRO's evolving research and ecosystem initiatives. As the architect behind platforms such as CCAvenue, Rediff, and Phronetic.AI, Mehta has spent decades building high-scale digital infrastructure in India. Under his leadership, AvenuesAI Limited has grown into one of the country's largest fintech and software ecosystems, processing billions of transactions annually across millions of merchants.

IAIRO's founding ecosystem includes globally recognised AI researchers, technologists returning from top US universities, and veterans of Apple, Google, and IBM. Its mandate spans frontier research, talent development, enterprise AI systems, embodied intelligence, and national-scale deployment across sectors such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, sustainability, and urban systems.

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Mehta joins an advisory group that already includes prominent industry figures such as Ajai Chowdhry, Padma Bhushan awardee and co-founder of HCL, and Sharad Sharma of iSPIRT Foundation and Product Nation, reinforcing IAIRO's growing stature. As global competition for AI leadership intensifies, the organisation aims to position India not just as a participant but as a creator of foundational systems, standards, and innovation frameworks for the world.

IAIRO is focused on building a globally competitive artificial intelligence institution rooted in deep research, scalable innovation, and national capability development. The organisation, headquartered in GIFT City, Gujarat, is structured as an autonomous Section 8 entity aligned with India's national AI mission. IAIRO's PPP model is backed by IndiaAI Mission/MeitY, Gujarat DST, and the Indian Pharma Association.