Bhubaneswar: KIIT University conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award on David A Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer, Amazon US, during a special ceremony on Friday.
KIIT and KISS founder Dr Achyuta Samanta and senior officials from Amazon India attended the event.
In a wide-ranging conversation with KIIT Vice-Chancellor Prof. Saranjit Singh, Zapolsky spoke about Amazon’s deepening engagement with India, the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence and his advice to young students preparing for a rapidly evolving world.
Zapolsky highlighted India’s growing importance in Amazon’s global strategy, pointing out that the American tech giant has invested nearly $40 billion in the country, including major investments in data infrastructure and cloud computing.
Amazon, which operates data centres in Mumbai and Hyderabad, committed an additional $35 billion last year to strengthen its India footprint.
“India is a leader in shaping the global conversation around AI. No nation has expressed as clearly as India what it wants to achieve with AI. Our role will be to provide the infrastructure to support that ambition,” he said.
He announced Amazon’s partnership with the Indian government to expand AI and STEM education to reach 40 million public school children across the country. The initiative focuses on skilling the next generation to become AI-capable workers.
He emphasised that corporations must tailor their CSR initiatives to their core competencies, adding that Amazon aims to leverage its technological and logistical strengths for community impact, including disaster relief and environmental efforts.
On the subject of AI governance, Zapolsky made significant reference to regulation. He noted that while it is still early to understand how AI will be implemented fully, thoughtful regulation — backed by strong compliance frameworks — will be essential to ensure technology is deployed ethically and responsibly.
Zapolsky offered deeply personal advice to students. Recounting his own unconventional career journey — from aspiring scientist and musician to prosecutor in Brooklyn and Amazon executive — he urged young people not to chase prestige or salary. “Listen to your gut. Do what makes you happy. When you pursue your passion, opportunities follow,” he said.
He encouraged students to “learn and be curious,” and concluded that aligning career choices with personal values ultimately creates success and fulfilment.
He also visited the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) campus and interacted with its students, praising the institute’s remarkable growth and contribution towards tribal empowerment.
