Data governance key to robust AI ecosystem in India: Abhishek Singh, MeitY

Abhishek Singh, Managing Director & CEO, Digital India Corporation (DIC), President & CEO, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) &, CEO, MyGov, Ministry of Electronics & IT, Govt of India today highlighted the various initiatives launched by the government pertaining to AI. “To foster a robust AI ecosystem in India, government’s role is to enable a data governance mechanism via open data portals, with adequate safeguards for privacy to enable innovation by researchers and entrepreneurs to build upon and create products for better services,” he added.

Addressing the virtual ‘AI India Conclave’, organized by FICCI, jointly with the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Govt of India, Singh further talked about the importance of AI skilling and reskilling and its role in employment generation.

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT), Government of Telangana talked about Telangana’s focus areas to develop and nurture AI Ecosystem. “In order for AI and ML tools to grow, we are focusing on six pillars, data availability via data exchange, high-performance computing infrastructure, AI skilling, research and innovation in start-ups, collaborative adoption, and a robust governance system,” he added. Mr Ranjan also highlighted on the initiatives taken by the state government in the emerging technology space.

Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IIT- Bhilai, talked about the importance of responsible AI and AI for social good. “To leverage the best of AI and ML, we as a society should focus on making AI framework more transparent, inclusive, and responsible,” he added.

Dr Manish Gupta, Director, Google Research India said, “For India, AI can really make the difference, by playing a key role in solving some of the ongoing challenges faced by our nation in Healthcare, Water, Agriculture, and Language space.”

Mohit Kapoor, Chairman – AI & Digital Transformation Committee, FICCI and Group Chief Technology Officer, Mahindra group stated, “Artificial Intelligence is changing the world. The AI & DT committee at FICCI, along with the government and corporate partners, is committed to building a smart and connected nation focusing on innovation leadership in the fields of agriculture, financial inclusion, healthcare, education.”

Kanishka Agiwal, Co-Chair – AI & Digital Transformation Committee, FICCI and Head – Service Lines, Public Sector, India/South Asia, Amazon Web Services said, “Artificial Intelligence is an idea, and its real value lies in the way we use it, and there is immense opportunity for AI to thrive in India – the complexities across geographies, linguistic variances, and socio-economic differences make for a huge number of case studies for AI to address effectively.”

CT Bureau