Axis My India: Governing a Generative AI–Powered Citizen Platform

This case is suitable for graduate or post-graduate students in courses on digital transformation, information systems, technology for social impact, reinvention of companies in the digital era, stakeholder strategies in digital platforms, and platform governance strategy. It supports discussions on platform governance, AI-enabled ecosystems, and strategic trade-offs between control, openness, and mission-driven digital initiatives.This case explores the interplay of platform design choices, technology architecture, and governance in achieving strategic business objectives. Beyond demonstrating the practical application of AI technologies for social impact (generative AI, speech-to-text AI, and translation algorithms), it highlights the challenge of platform governance in a world increasingly disrupted by digital platforms—one of the most pressing problems of the growing AI era. By adopting the perspective of a founder and managing director of a legacy company transforming into a scalable platform, students evaluate choices related to selecting appropriate governance mechanisms for a multisided, AI-driven platform (in this case, PEP). The case also offers exposure to digital platform design complexities and insights into the rapidly evolving multi-stakeholder platforms sector, particularly from the vantage point of companies reinventing themselves in the age of AI. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:Analyze the challenges of scaling a mission-driven, multisided digital platform across a complex ecosystem of vendors, users, and partners in the public-facing digital governance space.Apply key theoretical frameworks to evaluate trade-offs among several available governance models mentioned in the case that companies have successfully used in digital governance. These include platform architecture theory; platform evolution theory, which connects design choices to governance outcomes; and the boundary resource model.Recognize underlying conflicts and investigate the diverse aspects of decision-making at the nexus of technology and business, an issue of growing importance in the AI-driven digital era.Make decisions and design platform governance strategies that align with PEP’s vision, ensuring data privacy, AI ethics, and long-term public trust and experience.