While artificial intelligence dominates headlines, a quieter revolution is taking shape behind laboratory doors. According to Nilesh M. Desai of ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, quantum technology—not AI—will ultimately change daily life, banking security, and even how phones connect to networks, though patience will be required.
A contrarian view at a student gathering
The setting was celebratory. The message was unexpected.
Speaking at the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Vadodara, Nilesh M. Desai, Director of ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC), told graduating students that the most disruptive technology of the future is not artificial intelligence.
It is quantum technology.
Everyone talks about AI, Desai said, but the deeper shift will come from quantum systems that alter how information is secured, transmitted, and trusted. The impact, he added, will be sweeping, though not immediate.
One sentence captures his tone.
The real revolution is slow, invisible, and foundational.
Why quantum matters more than the current tech buzz
Desai’s argument rests on one central claim: cyber fraud, which continues to grow despite better software defenses, needs a fundamentally different solution.
Quantum communication, he said, offers that break.
Unlike current digital systems, quantum channels can transmit passwords and one-time codes in a way that cannot be copied or intercepted without detection. If interference occurs, the system knows instantly. That changes the rules entirely.
One short paragraph fits here.
Security shifts from software tricks to physics.
Desai suggested that, in the long run, all critical transactions across India—from ATM withdrawals to stock exchange trades—could move through quantum channels. Passwords and OTPs would arrive via these channels, making traditional hacking obsolete.
He was clear about timelines. This is not next year’s rollout.
It could take another 20 to 25 years.
Ending cyber fraud, slowly but decisively
The promise sounds dramatic. End cyber fraud.
Desai didn’t frame it as hype. He framed it as inevitability.
Cybercrime thrives because current systems rely on complexity and secrecy. Quantum systems rely on physical laws. That difference matters. Fraudsters can exploit software gaps. They cannot outmaneuver quantum mechanics.
One sentence stands alone.
That’s why the payoff is so large.
ISRO, Desai said, is already working in this direction, including space-based quantum communication. Satellites play a role here, helping distribute quantum keys over long distances, something terrestrial networks struggle to do at scale.
This is one reason space agencies care about quantum tech even when it doesn’t sound glamorous.
ISRO’s work goes far beyond headline missions
Desai also used the occasion to clear up a common misconception about ISRO.
Only about 25 percent of the organisation’s work relates to headline-grabbing missions like Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, or Gaganyaan. The remaining 70 to 75 percent, he said, focuses on applications that touch everyday life.
Satellite communication. Navigation. Earth observation. Space science.
One short paragraph belongs here.
That was always the original vision.
Desai pointed to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s idea that space technology should directly support national development. SAC’s role reflects that philosophy, working on systems that improve connectivity, forecasting, mapping, and now, future communication security.
Satellite phones hiding inside smartphones
Quantum wasn’t the only technology Desai highlighted.
He also spoke about another shift already being tested in the United States: smartphones that automatically turn into satellite phones when terrestrial networks fail.
The idea is simple.
When cellular coverage drops, the device seamlessly connects to a satellite network, without user intervention. No switching. No special hardware beyond what’s already built in.
For countries with remote regions, disaster-prone areas, or patchy coverage, this could be transformative. Emergency communication would no longer hinge on ground infrastructure that floods, collapses, or loses power.
Desai suggested this change could quietly replace the smartphone model people take for granted today.
A broader map of future technologies at SAC
Beyond quantum communication and satellite-based connectivity, Desai outlined several other areas under active development at the Space Applications Centre.
They include quantum radars, which could detect objects with greater precision, and space-based solar power, a concept that aims to collect energy in orbit and beam it back to Earth.
Terahertz technology also features in SAC’s research portfolio, offering potential advances in imaging and data transmission.
These are long-horizon projects, expensive, complex, and often invisible to the public. Yet they form the backbone of how space agencies prepare for decades ahead.
A reality check on artificial intelligence
While Desai positioned quantum tech as the bigger long-term force, he did not dismiss artificial intelligence outright.
That perspective was echoed later by Namrata Somani, regional head for Gujarat at Tata Consultancy Services.
AI, she said, is a tool. Its output depends on the quality of prompts and human direction. It brings efficiency and access to data, but it is not a replacement for thinking.
One sentence lands cleanly.
AI helps, but it doesn’t decide.
Somani urged students to see AI as something to work with, not compete against. She stressed that the responsibility lies with users to apply it creatively, rather than letting it dull problem-solving skills.
Lifelong learning as the real constant
Somani’s message circled back to a theme Desai indirectly reinforced.
Technology keeps changing. Careers stretch longer. Skills expire faster.
The only stable strategy, she said, is lifelong learning. Not learning once, then coasting, but continually updating how one thinks and works.
One short paragraph sits here.
Degrees open doors. Curiosity keeps them open.
In a future shaped by quantum systems, satellite networks, and automation, adaptability may matter more than any single technical skill.
A future shaped quietly, not loudly
The contrast between AI’s popularity and quantum’s obscurity was central to Desai’s remarks.
AI shows results quickly. Quantum technology works behind the scenes. One feels immediate. The other reshapes foundations.
That difference often determines where attention goes.
One sentence closes the thought.
The most important shifts rarely announce themselves.
As students left the convocation hall, the message lingered. The next big transformation may not come from smarter machines talking back, but from invisible channels that make trust, security, and connectivity fundamentally different.
