India, Jan. 8 -- Startup founders often prioritise speed, growth, and innovation - and assume security can come later. That assumption no longer holds. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven attacks, stricter data protection laws, and growing user trust expectations mean cybersecurity is now a core business responsibility, not a technical afterthought.

In this interview, Akshay Garkel, partner & leader at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP shares insights for founders navigating AI, cloud infrastructure, and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP) - cutting through hype to focus on fundamentals that truly protect companies, data, and trust.

We began with the idea that the next cyber attacker may not be human, but AI-driven. Are we...