AI and ambition: Puneet Singh explores the human heart of machine thought at SiGMA Asia 2025
The return of a familiar voice
In a compelling keynote at the SiGMA Asia 2025 summit in Manila, Puneet Singh, Associate Director of Innovation & Technology at PwC India, offered a powerful exploration into the philosophy and potential of artificial intelligence. The session, titled Why AI Is the Ultimate Mirror of Human Ambition: A Journey into the Heart of Machine Thought, was more than a technical discussion. It was a reflective commentary on the human condition, progress, and our collective future.
Returning for his third year on the AIBC stage, Singh revisited the evolution of his AI narrative:
The first edition of AIBC Manila, I spoke about why AI is the biggest canvas of human ambition The next year, I spoke about man versus machine. Spoiler alert, man wins because we have purpose and ambition.
AI as a mirror to humanity
This years talk delved deeper into AI, not merely as a tool but as a profound reflection of who we are, and who we may become.
AI is the biggest opportunity for us to codify humans and take society forward.
Singh drew on the foundations of machine intelligence, referencing Alan Turings imitation game and the shifting benchmarks of AI credibility.
Recently, it’s been more difficult to distinguish between LLM (large language model) or a human.
However, the real question has evolved:
The real question isn’t, can machines fool us? But can we trust machines and how to move forward?
A philosophical framework for AI development
To chart a path for the future, Singh introduced his AI “compass”, a strategic framework anchored by human flourishing as its guiding principle. This framework is supported by four directional pillars: inclusive opportunity, which ensures all societal segments progress together; exponential innovation, which embraces boundary-breaking advances; shared responsibility, which fosters collective accountability; and ethical design, which prioritises the creation of secure, transparent systems from the ground up.
Everything that helps us move together as a society forward is something that we should keep as a north star.
A personal journey in cybersecurity and AI ethics
Blending professional insight with personal reflection, Singh shared his evolution from a red team cybersecurity intern to a blue team architect at PwC India.
When I started my career, I was part of the red team as I progressed, I transitioned into the blue team side of things.
He highlighted a recent initiative, Secure Astra, an AI security tool he helped develop and patent. During an internal stress test, his team successfully bypassed the generative AI security layers using a cipher attack, exposing a critical vulnerability.
We need to define better systems that understand things beyond what we can comprehend.
This moment underscored the need for AI designs that can anticipate threats that exceed human foresight.
The convergence of ethics, scale, and disruption
Looking ahead, Singh envisioned an AI-infused world where disruption becomes the norm. From media and gaming to enterprise and industry, traditional boundaries are rapidly dissolving.
We are seeing massive disruption across industries Its levelling the playing field.
Yet he stressed that alongside innovation, ethical guardrails must also be established, pointing to ongoing efforts to develop global AI standards and protocols.
A lot of standards and protocols are being designed today to keep security as the foundation of AI innovation.
A future shaped by intention, not chance
In his closing remarks, Singh emphasised the transformative potential of AI not just to replicate human patterns, but to magnify human capability.
What we could imagine across our life cycle that we could achieve with AI, we can do 10x more.
Rather than view the future as a static goal, he urged the audience to see it as an evolving direction set by todays choices.
The future is not a destination that we want to reach, it’s a compass that we set today and we move in that direction.
For those eager to follow the ongoing dialogue shaping AI, technology, and human ambition, stay updated with the SiGMA Asia 2025 agenda to ensure you dont miss any of the summits most insightful panels.
