Govt, Meta Team Up To Push For AI Adoption In India

Meta and Ministry of Electronics and IT’s (MeitY) programme IndiaAI have joined hands to set up a Centre for Generative AI, named Srijan, IIT Jodhpur, to further boost AI adoption in the country.

MeitY also announced the launch of YuvAi Initiative for Skilling and Capacity Building in collaboration with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Friday (October 25). 

The collaboration is aimed at developing “indigenous AI applications, advance skill development in AI, boost research capabilities with the aim of contributing to India’s AI mission of ensuring tech sovereignty and the vision of building AI solutions”, MeitY said in a statement.

The GenAI CoE at IIT Jodhpur is looking to boost advanced research and AI development to ensure responsible and ethical AI usage in India. It will further bolster open source innovation across the AI technology landscape, the statement said. 

The YuvAi initiative is targeted to empower 1 Lakh students and young developers aged 18-30 to leverage open-source large language models (LLMs). It will train developers and entrepreneurs, contributing to India’s AI ecosystem across sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and financial inclusion within the next three years. 

The initiative will also set up a Gen AI Resource Hub with courses, case studies and open datasets. 

Additionally, it will include ‘unleash LLM hackathons’ in which students will submit AI solutions to address real-world problems. The top ideas will receive mentoring, seed grants, and market support, as per the statement. 

It is pertinent to note that the AI Innovation Accelerator will extend support to 10 student-led startups leveraging open-source AI models and offer incubation and visibility​.

S. Krishnan, secretary, MeitY said, “These initiatives are pivotal in creating a robust ecosystem for groundbreaking research, skill development, and open-source innovation, advancing AI technology while ensuring its responsible and ethical deployment.”

Shivnath Thukral, vice president and head of public policy, Meta India said, “These initiatives will empower the next generation of innovators and equip them with the tools to address pressing real-world challenges, ultimately propelling India to be at the forefront of global AI advancements.”

The statement further added that the initiative will contribute to the $5 Tn economy goal of India by equipping the nation’s youth to lead in the global AI arena.