Anand J Kulkarni holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Distributed Optimization from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, MS in AI from University of Regina, Canada, Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Shivaji University, India and Diploma from the Board of Technical Education, Mumbai. He worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Canada. Anand worked with Symbiosis International University, Pune, India for over six years. He is currently working as Research Professor and Associate Director of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at the MITWPU, Pune, India. His research interests include AI based Nature Inspired optimization algorithms, and self-organizing systems. Anand pioneered optimization methodologies such as Cohort Intelligence, Ideology Algorithm, Expectation Algorithm, and Socio Evolution & Learning Optimization Algorithm. Anand is the founder of OAT Research Lab and has published over 70 research papers in peer-reviewed reputed journals, chapters and conferences along with 6 authored and 12 edited books. Anand is the lead series editor for Springer and Taylor & Francis as well as editor of several Elsevier journals. He also writes on AI in several newspapers and magazines. Anand has delivered expert research talks in countries such as the USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Australia, Dubai and France.

Hiroyuki Iida received the Ph.D. degree in heuristic theories of game tree search from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, in 1994. He was affiliated with Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, and a Guest Researcher with Maastricht University. He is currently a Japanese Computer Scientist and a Computer Game Researcher with a focus on game refinement theory, opponent-model search, and computer shogi. He is also the Trustee and the Vice President of educational and student affairs with the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), and Head of the Iida Laboratory. He is a professional 7-dan shogi player, a coauthor of the shogi program TACOS, and a four-time gold medal winner at the Computer Olympiad. His research interests include artificial intelligence, game informatics, game theory, mathematical models, search algorithms, game refinement theory, game tree search, and entertainment science.

DATO' Ts. DR HAJI AMIRUDIN ABDUL WAHAB FASc (“Dato’ Ts. Dr. Amir”) is the Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia - a cybersecurity specialist and technical agency that monitors e-sovereignty of the country. He has more than 30 years of ICT working experience in the telecom and IT sector in both public as well as private sectors. Dato’ Ts. Dr. Amir holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering (ITEE), University of Queensland, Australia; Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) University of Duqubue, Iowa, USA; Master’s in information technology, National University of Malaysia (UKM) and a Bachelor of Science Engineering in Electrical Engineering from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Under his leadership in CyberSecurity Malaysia, Dato’ Ts. Dr. Amir contributed to the Malaysia’s achievement in attaining top 10 world ranking at the International Telecom Union (ITU) Global Cyber Security Index Studies. CyberSecurity Malaysia was awarded ‘Best Cyber Security Innovation Award’ 2015 by FireEye Global; conferred a ‘Winner of World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes’ 2020 and won ‘Champion Prizes’ for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.Dato’ Ts. Dr. Amir is an Adjunct Professor at various institutions of higher learning in Malaysia, namely the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM, KL), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Kolej Poly-Tech MARA, UNITAR International University and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak. He also serves as Board of Studies Member at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), University Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and hold Professorial Chair of Cybersecurity, Faculty of Computing and Digital Technology, HELP University since January 2022.