With Goggle partnership, NITI Aayog to hone AI skill among startups

Indian government think tank NITI Aayog has clubbed with search engine behemoth Google to foster growth in India's nascent artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning ecosystems.

NITI Aayog in a statement said that Google will train and incubate Indian AI startups in an accelerator programme. These startups will be mentored and coached by Google and its affiliates to enable them to better leverage AI in their respective business models.

Google will also bring its online training courses on AI to students, graduates and engineers to many cities across the country. Under the programme, both the bodies will organise AI and machine learning hackathon focused on solving key challenges within agriculture, education, healthcare, financial inclusion, transportation, and mobility.

Speaking about the importance of AI and alliance, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that artificial intelligence is future technology and India is uniquely poised in utilising such emerging technology to innovate for social and inclusive growth.

Earlier, the government had asked NITI Aayog to set up a national programme to conduct research and development in AI.

Last month, NITI Aayog piloted AI solution in the sectors such as agriculture, education, and healthcare. Most of the projects that think tank of the government is taking in the line of using AI across sectors.

NITI has also partnered with ISRO and IBM for AI solutions to improve crop productivity and soil health in the farming sector. It will also claim to use remote sensing satellite images and data for the project. According to an estimate, AI in agriculture will be worth $2.63 billion by 2025 — mostly driven by rising population, adoption of information management systems, and need to improve crop productivity.

Kant had earlier emphasised that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform every industry and sector in the country. It will be bigger than the advent of the internet or harnessing electricity. In years to come, it will transform every single industry and sector.

Of late, Indian e-commerce companies are slowly adopting AI in various aspects of their businesses to reduce costs and drive sales. It can reduce operational costs just to a fraction through automation.

E-commerce juggernaut Flipkart is investing hundreds of USD million to enhance the shopping experience, shortening the time taken to fulfil deliveries and address customer complaints.