The University of Hyderabad (UoH) and AAIC Technologies Pvt. Ltd. are jointly offering an online Diploma in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (DAI&ML) through the Center for Distance and Virtual Learning (CDVL) with the help of faculty of School of Computer and Information Sciences (SCIS) and AAIC. The basic objective of the Diploma course is to offer skill-based tailor-made course that can enhance the industry ready abilities among graduates and working professionals.
“So far, AI has primarily been used by the private sectors for commercial usage. The mission of the government is to make AI accessible to all the sectors of society,” said Dr. V.K. Saraswat while speaking on the virtual inaugural of the first batch of the course on March 27, 2021. Chief Guest Dr. Saraswat, who is a member of the NITI Ayog, informed the participants that the government has decided to focus on five sectors that are envisioned to benefit the most from AI in solving societal needs they are;
a) Healthcare: increased access to affordable and quality healthcare. He informed how several tools that are based on AI&ML are used to identify the potential spread and containments in the present COVID situation.
b) Agriculture: enhanced farmers’ income, increased farm productivity and reduction of wastage
c) Education: improved access and quality of education
d) Smart Cities and Infrastructure: efficient and connectivity for the burgeoning urban population, and
e) Smart Mobility and Transportation: smarter and safer transportation modes and better traffic and congestion problems.
To enjoy the fruits of AI-based tools on a large scale, we need to remove a few barriers. Lack of human expertise in research and AI application, access to intelligent data, and the absence of a collaborative approach to AI adoption and application are few, he said.
He praised the University of Hyderabad for starting the one-year online Diploma in AI&ML, thereby creating the workforce equipped with the right kind of education. He also mentioned that AI&ML could be used both in good and bad ways, so he advised the instructors to emphasize its good use at every stage of the teaching. He also mentions that by the end of 2035, there will be a workflow transition in jobs, which will require a better balance between humans and intelligent systems.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile presided over the function. He informed the virtual gathering of how University progressed in the last five decades to become one of the most sought destinations for students. The University has been the path setter in several aspects for the country’s other academic institutions, and its model has been used by many. He informed the participants about its consistent ranking at National and international ranking systems. He also told the participants of its achievements in the past decade, including conferring of Institute of Eminence (IoE) by the government of India.
Director CDVl. Prof, Jeelani informed the centre’s achievements in the recent past. He told the gathering about the different courses offered by CDVL and the industry partnership programs. He reported that DAI&ML received an overwhelming response, and 702 participants have been admitted.
The program coordinator Prof. C. Raghavendra Rao, told participants about the course structure and how the proper balancing of academic and industry expertise has been done. Dean School of Computer and Information Sciences Prof. Chakravarthy Bhagvati informed how the school was first in the country to start M.Tech. program in AI in the way back 1987. He remembered how the Senior Professor of the school Prof. Arun Agarwal (present Pro-Vice Chancellor-I) started several areas of research in AI after returning from Carnegie Mellon University.
In his special remarks, Pro-Vice Chancellor-II Prof. Raja Shekhar informed the participants about the professional courses University started in regular and Distance mode in the past decade. Mr. Srikanth Varma Chekuri, Co-founder of AAIC gave a brief presentation on “Industry Focused Education in AI & ML”, joined by other co-founders Mr. Singam Srinivas Reddy, and Mr. Satish Atcha. The program ended with a vote of thanks by the associate coordinator Prof. Rajeev Wankar.