Media Release
Bengaluru, Jul 20: The Department of Computer Science under the School of Information Technology at St Joseph's University (SJU), inaugurated its new postgraduate programme, Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (MSc CS & AI), at Xavier Hall, PG Block, on July 18.
The chief guest of the inauguration programme was Sailesh A J Menezes. He is a human resource and talent management professional with senior HR leadership experience at IBM, Wipro Technologies, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and currently serves as vice president and regional HR leader – India, Asia Pacific and Japan at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He is also a Josephite alumnus, having completed his schooling, PUC, and degree at Joseph institutions.
The ceremony began with students Joachim and Nisha's rendition of a worship song followed by the auspicious lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries on the dais — Sailesh Menezes, the chief guest; Fr Denzil Lobo SJ, director, School of IT; Dr AM Bojamma, Dean, School of IT; Dr BG Prasanthi, associate-dean and head of department, department of CS; Dr Nithya, PG coordinator; Dr Mrinmoyee Bhattacharya, programme coordinator, MSc CS & AI; and two students from the inaugural batch.
Next, the audience listened to the thought-provoking words of Fr Denzil, who spoke about AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) He noted that the emergence of AI can be seen as an exponential change with potential for both positive and negative impact, drawing on the comments of Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and other intellectuals in the field. He emphasized the need to look into where and how AI will bring about change in society. Quoting Hoffman, Fr Denzil pointed out that AI cannot be seen as just another tool or piece of software, but rather as a strategic new way of running things — while AI provides information and predicts, it is humans who ought to make decisions. Fr Denzil also observed that data has become the new oil, and there is a need to prioritize transparency and security of data. He offered three keys to success and innovation: 1. Be curious. 2. Build things — experiment, fail, improve, and repeat. 3. Be ethical — the important question is not can we build something, but should we build it.
Sailesh Menezes offered his view that AI is more a force for good, though it can also be misused by humans to cause harm. He suggested that for AI to be a force for good and solve society's problems, we must enable and allow it to do so. Reflecting on the uncertainty of the future, he noted that we don't really know what the coming years will look like, given how rapidly times are changing — but offered valuable points on staying relevant. He emphasized that we need to be ‘translators’ — translating technology into business outcomes is something organizations find valuable. He also noted that learnability, curiosity, and the ability to adapt are facets that will help us stay relevant as times change.
Following the two talks, Saija Rao, 2nd year MSc computer science, shared her experience at SJU. She spoke about the vibrant nature of associations and Bembala outreach, which enable students to engage with the lived realities of people outside urban contexts. She also spoke about the support and encouragement that faculty have been providing her. She said St Joseph's has shaped her values and perspective, enabling personal growth, independence, and confidence. The event concluded with the vote of thanks delivered by Dr Mrinmoyee Bhattacharya.