Brainstorming Workshop Discusses Global AI Practices To Prepare Odisha Strategy

Bhubaneswar: In order to learn about the global best practices in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and adopt those in Odisha, a brainstorming workshop on AI strategy for the state was held in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Speaking at the workshop, organised by the Electronics and IT department, Development Commissioner Anu Garg said, “Odisha is experiencing accelerated growth across all sectors. The increasing adoption of AI in the state will further augment this process. However, there is a need to ensure that AI adoption also benefits the marginalised groups and is based on the principles of equity.”

Vishal Dev, Principal Secretary E&IT Department said, “We have initiated the process to develop Odisha’s AI Strategy and formulate its AI Policy. We have great ambitions in this field. We want to contribute to the development of India’s compute capacity, indigenous foundational models, datasets, and AI start-ups. Through these measures, we will create a robust AI eco-system in the State and foster greater collaboration between academia, industry, and the government.”

Representatives from Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Innovation Corps, University of California-Berkeley, Samagra, Apurva.ai, People+AI, and Wadhwani Foundation made detailed presentations in the workshop.

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion which witnessed participation of senior academics from IIT Bhubaneswar, IIIT Bhubaneswar, BPUT, OUTR, and VSSUT, senior officials from the World Bank, and industry leaders from Accenture, TCS, IBM, Infosys, Cognizant, and NASSCOM.

The participants discussed the AI focused research initiatives that have been taken in different universities across Odisha, the academic programs which have been started at undergraduate, graduate, and PhD level, the AI based products and services that are being offered by the industry, and the need to ensure that Odisha’s AI strategy is action-oriented.

This workshop is part of a series of initiatives that the state government of Odisha is undertaking to catalyse the development of AI eco-system. The insights and deliberations from the brainstorming workshop will play a critical role in the development of Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Odisha. They will also enable the state to align its AI strategy with the objectives of India AI Mission, believed delegates.

Senior representatives from the government, academia, industry, and international organisations participated in the workshop. They included Principal Secretary Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department Sushil Kumar Lohani, Principal Secretary Commerce and Transport Department Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary Women and Child Development Department Shubha Sarma, Principal Secretary Skill Development and Technical Education Department NBS Rajput, Principal Secretary Information and Public Relations Department Sanjay Singh, Secretary Higher Education Department Aravind Agarwal and Special Secretary E&IT Department Manas Panda.