“AI is the transformational change of our generation. Just like mobile or social media, it impacts everything under the sun,” said Harshil Mathur, Co-founder & CEO of Razorpay, in conversation with Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO of Startup Policy Forum, during the first episode of IndiaAI in Action, a podcast series by Startup Policy Forum in collaboration with the IndiaAI Mission.
The series is being released in the run-up to the AI Impact Summit scheduled for February 2026, to be held under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit will bring together heads of state, global AI leaders, and top executives from Big Tech in India to deliberate on the future of artificial intelligence and its role in shaping inclusive growth.
In the opening episode, Mathur shared how Razorpay is embedding AI into every aspect of the company – from HR and legal to product and marketing – instead of treating it as the responsibility of a siloed team. He stressed that an AI-first mindset is now the only way forward for startups and offered a blueprint for how Indian companies can drive innovation while deploying AI responsibly and at scale.
Mathur says Razorpay uses AI for customer queries with strong safeguards in place such as two-factor authentication for sensitive actions and system rules that prevent AI from initiating business-critical risks.
He drew a parallel with the arrival of ATMs, which reduced cashier roles but expanded the banking sector overall. “AI will replace some jobs, but it won’t reduce jobs overall – it will open up new opportunities for higher-value work,” he said.
The conversation also revealed a lighter side of the fintech founder. Mathur codes apps on Replit during Bengaluru traffic jams, keeps a collection of 5–10 AI apps on his phone, and jokes that while he enjoys experimenting with new tools, one thing he hopes AI never does is replace his own job.
IndiaAI in Action will showcase candid conversations with India’s top founders and innovators on how the country can cement its position as a Global AI leader.
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