AI ecosystem

New CII forum formed to help build an AI ecosystem

by | Aug 30, 2020 | Artificial Intelligence

The artificial intelligence forum to help develop an AI ecosystem will be headed by Sandip Patel, MD, IBM India, and South Asia.
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Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has launched a new forum on artificial intelligence (AI) to help India develop a much-needed AI ecosystem to drive new opportunities and growth.

The CII AI Forum will focus on developing a robust AI ecosystem in India by developing awareness at scale and strengthening capabilities by skilling/reskilling the workforce for the future, CII said. The sectors prioritized for this year are banking and financial services industries (BFSI), retail, social (healthcare), and manufacturing (automotive).

The forum further aims at collaborating with the Indian government, to help shape conducive policies and a regulatory regime, encourage partnerships in research and development, and facilitate AI-based solution pilots in the priority sectors.

CII said that the forum would be chaired by Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India/South Asia

“As the economy moves into the recovery and revival phase, the transformational potential of responsible AI-driven solutions can be used to fuel India’s growth story in a big way. CII AI Forum will look at initiatives to spur local innovations. This will make AI adoption a reality and further the national agenda of Digital India and Make in India for India and the world. More importantly, the forum will work on policies to embed trust and transparency into AI applications and processes, a critical step in realizing the true promise of the technology for business, society, and the world,” said Sandip Patel in a press statement.

India’s focus on AI has been steadily growing, and the government think tank is consistently working to leverage technology for the country’s economic growth. As part of its efforts, India has recently launched a National Artificial Intelligence Portal (http://www.ai.gov.in) to promote and showcase the local AI-related advancements.

This portal is a one-stop digital platform for AI-related developments in India, featuring resources such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI, resources, companies, and educational institutions related to AI in India.

The website has been developed by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) in consultation with the National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Communications Technology (MeitY). (See: India gears up for AI leap in post-Covid-19 era)

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The submission process for the second edition of these awards commences on July 15, 2019 and will continue till September 30, 2019. Participants can submit entries describing their work in the form of videos that can be uploaded on the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards website. The entries must be of a fully functioning prototype, not just a concept, idea or mock up. Additionally, the project must not be an established commercial venture.

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