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Rising Demand for AI Expertise in India Unveiled in Recent Study

British engineering institution and UK-India tech partnership team from the British High Commission conducted an individual analysis in June 2020 on AI training...

Growing Need for Artificial Intelligence Proficiency Lansquishes in India, According to New Study
Growing Need for Artificial Intelligence Proficiency Lansquishes in India, According to New Study

Rising Demand for AI Expertise in India Unveiled in Recent Study

India's tech sector, particularly in Karnataka, is leading the charge in AI innovation and entrepreneurship. However, a recent study conducted by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), India, and the UK India Tech Partnership team from the British High Commission has highlighted some challenges that need to be addressed to bolster the country's position in the tech sector.

The study, which was conducted in June 2020, gathered close to 140 respondents from students, start-ups, academia, incubators, and large corporations. One of the key findings was the need for a more strategic and joined-up approach for AI adoption, both within government and industry. Many students expressed frustration about not knowing where to start, finding the right expert, and fearing coding as too tough when trying to equip themselves with in-demand AI skills.

Large corporations also expressed a need for mapping out the skills gap and a renewed approach to the AI skills eco-system. Entrepreneurs already running start-ups echoed these sentiments, calling for a more strategic and joined-up approach for AI adoption. They also highlighted the need for building awareness around core AI technologies and successful AI adoption use cases.

To address these challenges, IET India and the UK India Tech Partnership are holding a virtual roundtable titled 'AI skilling in India: Opportunities, challenges, and road ahead'. The roundtable, which will feature experts from India and the UK, aims to evolve a roadmap for AI skilling in India. Ankita Puri, Head of AI and Data Science Cluster at IET India, plans to launch a virtual upskilling program in AI to focus on capacity building.

The next generation of entrepreneurs has expressed a desire for support with application-led concepts like Speech recognition, Computer vision, Robotics, and Natural Language processing. The virtual upskilling program and roundtable are responses to the growing importance of AI and the need for capacity building in the AI ecosystem.

The study also emphasized the need for a standardized AI curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The UK-India collaboration in the tech space is growing, including increased partnerships between academia and start-ups. Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala, endorsed the study as recognizing the growing importance of AI. Shekhar Sanyal, Country Head and Director of IET India, stated that the study was a first step in building a baseline for AI skills in India and looks forward to engaging with ecosystem players in multiple areas of skilling for AI.

The virtual roundtable will discuss opportunities, challenges, and the road ahead for AI skilling in India. It is expected to be a significant step towards addressing the challenges facing India and the world due to the COVID-19 disruptions and towards building a strong AI ecosystem in India. The name of the person heading the AI and Data Science cluster at IET India is Dr. Shelja Jose.

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