India launches one-stop AI portal
The Indian government has launched a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) portal, designed to support the country’s AI development capabilities and to boost its standing as an emerging tech innovation hub.
The portal – www.ai.gov.in – has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and national IT trade association NASSCOM, and is being promoted as a one-stop platform for AI-related advancements in India.
It provides resources such as case studies, research reports and investment funding news, details of AI start-ups and AI education institutions, and job opportunities in the field. The platform also promotes collaboration between departments – including MeitY, government policy think tank NITI Aayog and state governments, which will share ideas and thought leadership content – and with the private sector.
The portal was launched by MeitY minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on 30 May. “India must be a leading country in the development of artificial intelligence in the world, leveraging upon its vast internet-savvy population and the data it is creating,” he said. “India’s AI approach should be of inclusion and empowerment of human beings by supplementing growth and development rather than making human beings less relevant.”
The government has also launched the ‘Responsible AI for Youth’ programme, which aims to encourage students in India to consider a career in AI and to provide them with early tech skills. The programme has been created and launched by MeitY in collaboration with Intel India, and with support from the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
It will be available to pupils at central and state government-run schools across the country, and will be rolled out in phases. Initially, each state will nominate 10 teachers to run the programme, each of whom will identify 25-50 students to take part. They will attend online training sessions and will work on creating AI-based social impact projects. The 20 most innovative projects will be selected by an independent committee of experts, and the young people behind them will be given opportunities to showcase their work.
About Mia Hunt
Mia is a journalist and editor with a background in covering commercial property, having been market reports and supplements editor at trade title Property Week and deputy editor of Shopping Centre magazine, now known as Retail Destination. She has also undertaken freelance work for several publications including the preview magazine of international trade show, MAPIC, and TES Global (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) and has produced a white paper on energy efficiency in business for E.ON. Between 2014 and 2016, she was a member of the Revo Customer Experience Committee and an ACE Awards judge. Mia graduated from Kingston University with a first-class degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
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