Emergent Labs’ Madhav Jha to Anthropic’s Irina Ghose: IIT BHU alumni who are leading the global AI race

From Silicon Valley startups to frontier AI labs and global policy platforms, alumni of Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi are increasingly visible in roles that shape how artificial intelligence is built, deployed and governed. Leaders such as Madhav Jha and Irina Ghose reflect a broader pattern. IIT BHU graduates are influencing AI across product engineering, safety-focused research, cloud security and public policy. Their growing presence shows how one campus is feeding talent into some of the world’s most consequential AI efforts.

Madhav Jha, Co-founder, Emergent Labs

As co-founder and CTO of Emergent Labs, Madhav Jha operates at the cutting edge of applied AI. The company builds AI-driven tools designed to change how developers write and ship software. Jha’s work focuses on turning large models into practical products that can be used at scale.
Peers describe him as a technologist who combines deep theoretical foundations with fast execution. That blend is critical in an environment where AI innovation moves from research to deployment at unprecedented speed.

Irina Ghose, MD, Anthropic India

At Anthropic, Irina Ghose heads the company’s India operations at a time when questions around AI safety, oversight and deployment are drawing increased scrutiny. Anthropic is one of several companies developing large language models while publicly emphasising safeguards and risk management.
Ghose’s responsibilities include establishing local teams, managing operations and engaging with government and industry stakeholders. Her role links India to the wider ecosystem of global AI development, as companies expand research and engineering capacity beyond their home markets.

Cybersecurity leaders applying AI at scale

AI’s influence now extends well beyond research labs into the infrastructure that underpins the internet. Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, oversees a firm whose products are used by governments and large enterprises to secure networks, cloud systems and endpoints. The company integrates machine learning into tools that monitor traffic patterns, flag anomalies and automate parts of incident response, reducing reliance on manual threat analysis.

Another prominent IIT BHU alumnus, Jay Chaudhry, leads Zscaler, which operates a cloud-based security platform that sits between users and the internet. Zscaler inspects web traffic, enforces access controls and applies zero-trust principles, using AI models to assess risk in real time and limit lateral movement during attacks.

Policy and governance as part of the AI race

AI leadership is not limited to product development. Arvind Gupta, head of the Digital India Foundation, represents another dimension of IIT BHU’s influence. His work focuses on digital governance, public digital infrastructure and responsible technology adoption.

As AI systems grow more powerful, policy and governance will play a defining role in how they are used. Alumni working in this space help shape the rules that govern AI’s impact on society.

Alumni often credit IIT BHU’s emphasis on fundamentals, problem-solving and independence. Students are encouraged to think across disciplines and tackle complex problems from first principles. This mindset prepares graduates to move fluidly between research, startups, large companies and policy roles.