In a bid to ramp up activities in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space, the Indian government is all set to expand its INDIAai initiative by bringing on board Indian tech companies, start-ups and academic institutions, says a report by the Business Standard.
What is INDIAai?
INDIAai is the national AI portal of India established by the IT Ministry, National eGovernance Division and NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies). It is a one-stop platform or a “unified AI ecosystem” providing all resources on AI developments in India and the world for entrepreneurs, students and academics among others.
Key sectors:
The report by Business Standard quotes Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT and Electronics, stating that the INDIAai upgradation will take place under a “comprehensive AI programme that consists of the National Data Governance Framework Policy (NDGF), an Indian datasets programme, and setting up of three AI Centres of Excellence (in top educational universities)”.
The key focus areas for AI intervention include agriculture, education, Indian languages, smart cities, cybersecurity, transportation and finance. In the skilling sector too, the Directorate General of Training has been providing online training with companies like IBM, Cisco and Microsoft on courses like AI and Machine Learning through Bharatskills online learning platform, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in response to a parliamentary question.
Why it matters:
The Indian government’s growing interest in AI comes in the backdrop of its appointment as Council Chair for AI forum at the G20 and the fast-paced trends in the AI sector with the ChatGPT boom. The government has emphasised using and sharing the non-personal data of citizens under NDGF to encourage innovation and research in the key sectors. While AI expansion can be considered an inevitable move, whether the government is ready to address issues of privacy and infringement on intellectual property regarding the usage of data under NDGF is a question that still remains.
National Program on AI
According to data provided by IT Ministry in the parliament, the growth rate for the AI sector is estimated at about 20-25 percent. The IT Ministry is implementing a National Program on Artificial Intelligence for furthering goals of developing “AI-based solutions” and for the responsible use of AI. This is in addition to publishing a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence for research and adoption of AI.
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