NEW DELHI, India (ViaNews) – India is slowly becoming a hub for artificial intelligence given the massive investments targeting the revolutionary technology. The country already ranks third in the world when it comes to research publication touching on AI.
India AI Research Publications
However, a lack of sufficient AI talent threatens India’s Artificial intelligence research prospects. Research findings indicate there could be about 50-75 principle researchers focusing on AI. A lack of enough researchers explains the limited amount of AI publications of about 12,135 between 2013 and 2017 compared to 37,918 by China and 32,241 by the U.S.
However, National tech universities are increasingly setting up AI centers, as they seek to explore the technology. Some of the institutions leading the onslaught on AI research and development include the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and the Indian Institute of Technology Design and Manufacturing.
India AI Firms
India also plays host to a number of companies both startups and established firms, spearheading the AI drive. Active.ai is one such company that has found a way to leverage AI in offering conversational banking services. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company also helps customers enjoy natural dialogues over IO devices.
Headquartered in Bangalore, Artivatic Data Labs has found a way to use AI and help people make personalized decisions. Arya.ai, on the other hand, is an AI company based in Mumbai that provides tools for building intelligent systems. CruxIQ is an AI company based in Chennai that leverages AI to help people analyze legal contracts and extract crucial information.
Government AI Push
The Indian Government also appears to have taken note of the technology's potential impact in the future. In this year's interim budget, the government did allocate $13.15 billion to the education sector. While there is no explicit budgetary allocation for AI, part of the finances is to go towards financing AI courses in schools.
Also, the Minister of Corporate Affairs has already indicated the government intentions to set up a national program on Artificial Intelligence. Plans are also underway to establish a National Center on Artificial Intelligence as well as a Centers of Excellence. All these departments have the sole mandate to ensure that India is at the center of AI innovations.
Multinationals India AI Push
Multinationals are already taking note of India's AI potential. Microsoft is one of the companies that have set sights on the country's AI landscape. The software giant has announced plans to skill up to 5,000 people with AI skills. The company is also in the process of setting up AI labs in at least ten universities across the country.
Google is another multinational that is eyeing a share of India AI apple, having acquired Sigmoid Analytics last year. Walmart is another multinational to have expanded its wings into India’s AI landscape with INT.AI acquisition. Amazon, on the other hand, has acquired Tapzo, another startup pursuing AI inventions.
Centers of Excellence focusing on AI technology have also cropped up as organizations look to attract talent around the emerging technology. These centers are also helping organizations improve their expertise around a particular area.
Increased AI investment, both from the public and the private sector does not come to a surprise. A discussion paper tabled by the country’s think-tank, NITI Aayog, has indicated that the technology has the potential to inject up to $1 trillion to the economy when put to good use.
Government AI Push
Some of the institutions leading the onslaught on AI research and development include the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and the Indian Institute of Technology Design and Manufacturing. In addition to pursuing AI-powered innovations, the institutes are as offering courses, designed to equip people with the necessary skills to pursue AI innovations.
The Indian Government also appears to have taken note of the technology's potential impact in the future. In this year's interim budget, the government did allocate $13.15 billion to the education sector. While there is no explicit budgetary allocation for AI, part of the finances is to go towards financing AI courses in schools.
Also, the Minister of Corporate Affairs has already indicated the government intentions to set up a national program on Artificial Intelligence. Plans are also underway to establish a National Center on Artificial Intelligence as well as a Centers of Excellence. All these departments have the sole mandate to ensure that India is at the center of AI innovations.
The government announced the National Center for Artificial Intelligence underscores how focused it is to help citizens enjoy the benefit of the technology. Besides, the country remains on course to take the pole position when it comes to AI innovations.
Microsoft AI Push
Multinationals are already taking note of India's AI potential. Microsoft is one of the companies that have set sights on the country's AI landscape. The software giant has announced plans to skill up to 5,000 people with AI skills. The company is also in the process of setting up AI labs in at least ten universities across the country.
The investments are part of Microsoft’s AI push in the country, as it looks to create the right conditions for human-focused AI. Development of talent is vital if India is to succeed in AI-enabled the world. It is for this reason that the company recently launched an Intelligent Cloud Hub Program as it seeks to equip research and education institutions with the necessary AI infrastructure for building AI skill sets.
Centers of Excellence focusing on AI technology have also cropped up as organizations look to attract talent around the emerging technology. These centers are also helping organizations improve their expertise around a particular area.