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…
