Bridging Innovation, Equity, and Sustainability: Global Perspectives in an AI-Driven World

In an era where Artificial Intelligence is redefining industries, governance, and social structures, the intersection of innovation, equity, and sustainability has emerged as a defining global priority. MANTHAN ’26 was conceptualized as a dynamic academic platform to deliberate upon these critical dimensions and to foster meaningful dialogue among scholars, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from diverse disciplines and geographies. The abstracts compiled in this volume reflect rigorous research, contemporary insights, and interdisciplinary perspectives across themes such as Sustainable Finance in an AI-driven world, AI-enabled strategic decision-making, responsible marketing, data ethics and governance, climate action, resilient global supply chains, and equity in the age of AI. Together, these contributions underscore the collective commitment of the academic community toward building inclusive, responsible, and future-ready systems. We extend our sincere appreciation to all authors for their valuable submissions and to the reviewers for their constructive evaluation and scholarly guidance. We also acknowledge the dedicated efforts of the organizing committee whose commitment and coordination made this seminar a success.