Investment in AI in India can help move the whole field ahead

Jul 1, 2018News

The diversity of dialects, culture and dress could be the things that take AI to the new stage.

According to MIT Technology Review, Arun Jaitley, finance minister of India, announced in a speech on the federal budget that the country will launch a program to promote AI research and development. At the moment, India does not contribute nearly as much to AI development as do countries like the China and the U.S. The country believes that developing and commercializing AI is necessary if its businesses are to compete globally. At the same time, AI could help tackle social problems in India.

Currently, India’s diverse population poses a great challenge for AI in many fields: culture, healthcare, languages… In addition, India lacks trained talent in IT industry, thus, the country’s situation can help enhance AI development.

Despite AI’s potential in India, the country will encounter many challenges as it seeks to adopt more widespread use of AI. First, few Indian companies know how to employ machine learning, and there’s a shortage of workers with expertise in AI. Secondly, as jobs are mechanized, many members of India’s massive workforce will find themselves without stable employment.

While India’s path to widespread AI adoption includes several obstacles, organizations like MDI are working to come up with possible solutions.