At the IIT Bombay CSR Conclave 2025, Tower Research Capital’s India Head, Vineet Malhotra, joined a panel titled “AI for Social Good: How CSR is Shaping the Future of Responsible AI/ML.” The conversation centered on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be a powerful catalyst for developing ethical, inclusive, and high-impact AI solutions — particularly in India. 

Vineet framed CSR not as a check-the-box requirement, but as a strategic opportunity to support transformative projects — those that may be too long-term or high-risk for commercial investment yet hold the potential for enduring public benefit. In particular, he emphasized the importance of working with premier institutions like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Kanpur (all Tower partners) to bring cutting-edge research into real-world use. 

He outlined three core principles that should guide AI-focused CSR initiatives: 

• Impact over obligation – CSR should be a lever for meaningful innovation, not merely a tool for compliance. It can unlock high-potential, socially driven AI projects that might otherwise go unfunded. 

• Measurable outcomes – Projects should be structured with clear OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), developed through consultation with stakeholders and rigorously tracked across the lifecycle. 

• Collaborative execution – While government policy lays the foundation, CSR and philanthropy play a critical role in ensuring last-mile impact. Success depends on shared decision-making, aligned intent, and having the right execution partners. 

Vineet also spoke about the value of approaching CSR projects with the same agility and learning mindset seen in corporate environments — likening them to fast-paced internships that can surface what’s scalable, where to pivot, and how to adapt when outcomes aren’t aligning with expectations. 

He then highlighted several of Tower’s ongoing AI-related CSR efforts: 

• At IIT Bombay, Tower is funding the BodhiTree initiative, which aims to democratize IIT-quality education across India, and donating GPUs to support research on large language models (LLMs). 

• At IIT Kanpur, Tower is supporting the Centre for Developing Intelligent Systems, which is focused on healthcare and citizen-service applications. 

• At IIT Delhi, Tower is backing tools for climate change adaptation and AI-powered medical diagnostics — bridging the gap between engineering, medicine, and public need. 

Each initiative shares a common goal: translating frontier research into inclusive, accessible solutions with measurable social impact. By treating CSR as a platform for experimentation, feedback, and iteration — not just funding — Vineet made the case that AI for Social Good can evolve from an aspirational phrase into a practical, replicable model for progress.