Avik সেনগুপ্ত

Day 1 of the AI Impact Summit turned to be a pain for us. I came genuinely excited, it was the first time the summit was being hosted in India, and I wanted to show up personally to support the ecosystem and the government’s push. But what happened next was shocking. At 12 noon, security personnel arrived to sanitise and cordon off the area ahead of the visit by PM Modi visit at 2pm. I explained that we’re building India’s first patented AI wearable at NeoSapien and requested a chance to showcase it. One officer told others to let me stay, and they left. Then another group came and ordered us to leave immediately. Seemed like there was lack of co-ordination between the security itself. I asked: “Should we take our wearables?” They said, others are leaving even laptops behind, security will take care. Trusting them, I left. Hoping that the wearables will be safe, and If I am lucky, it might catch the eye of PM Modi. Gates were closed from 12–6pm. Much much longer than expected. Later we found out that our wearables were stolen. Think about this: We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone. If only security and official entourage had access, how did this happen? This is extremely disappointing.