The first annual CARE Conference on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, hosted by the Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IIT Guwahati, brought together experts from academia, industry, start-ups, and government to exchange ideas, showcase advances, and shape India’s AI roadmap. Expert talks covered State-of-the-Art Generative AI and Large Language Models, and the conference also served as a platform for multi-institutional collaboration and career opportunities for early-career researchers.