Need to train young people in Artificial Intelligence

Kapurthala, May 11, 2022: Pushpa Gujral Science City celebrated National Technology Day by organizing a webinar on “Emerging Trend in Artificial Intelligence”. Around 100Engineering College students from all over Punjab participated through virtual mode.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Neelima Jerath, Director General Science City said that National Technology Day is celebrated every year on May 11 to highlight the achievements of our engineers and scientists in the field of science & technology. It is a very special day for Indian Science and Technology as it was on this day that India successfully conducted the nuclear test in Pokhran (Rajasthan). She said that the two most common words used in science and business today are Artificial intelligence and Machine learning. Whereas AI is a technology which helps machines to simulate human behavior, Machine learning (which is a part of AI), allows machines to automatically learn from previous data without programming explicitly. The goal of AI is to make a smart computer systems like humans to solve complex problems. Artificial Intelligence has now moved from science fiction to real world applications. Solutions we had imagined previously are now within reach.  Further, Some of the existing exciting applications of AI which has already started impacting our daily lives are virtual assistants like Alexa, self-driving cars, customer targeted ads and recommendations on social media or how Netflix knows which movies a client wishes to watch. Thus, AI is greatly  impacting the business economy . as per Bloomberg a lot of investment is happening in this sector. In 2014 about $300 million was being  invested in new AI startups, but now the investment has increased by 3 times.
Sonia Dosanjh, Joint Director and Head of Artificial Intelligence & Analytics Department, C-DAC Mohali was the key speaker at the occasion. She briefed the audience on the latest technology developments in the field of AI. She apprised how AI is now being widely recognized to be the power that will fuel the future global digital economy; and has gained geo-strategic importance. A large number of countries are striving hard to stay ahead with their policy initiatives to get their youth ready to function in an environment driven by AI and other emerging technologies. Further, she informed that CBSE has introduced Artificial Intelligence as an optional subject at Class 9 from the Session 2019- 2020 onwards and clearly there is a need to train our young people in this promising field through various skilling/upskilling initiatives.
Dr Rajesh Grover, Director Science City said that AI technologies are being used for numerous applications including faster drug discovery to fight diseases like cancer, optimizing crop yields, smart cars and drones, forensic science, etc. India is well known as a tech hub, and should take full advantage of advancements in AI as it relates to health, farming, transportation logistics, fraud detection, autonomous driving, etc.