Cognitive Enterprise: Integrating Intelligence into Business Processes

In this interview, Shekhar Kulkarni, Chief IT Architect at Deutsche Telekom, explores the concept of the cognitive enterprise—a forward-looking framework designed to embed AI across core business functions. Kulkarni outlines four key pillars: adaptive business processes, customer centricity, autonomous networks, and human-AI collaboration. He delves into how AI can enhance existing frameworks like ODA, the promise and complexity of agentic AI, and the critical role of domain-specific knowledge. As AI reshapes enterprise architecture, Kulkarni emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and a shift in organizational design to truly unlock AI’s potential.