IIT Madras hosts Conclave to boost AI & ML ecosystem in Chennai
Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras undertook a major effort to give a boost to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) sectors in Chennai.
The Robert Bosch Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, IIT Madras, organized the ‘Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Conclave’ focused on understand cutting-edge technology and innovation in the field with participation from top technology firms and think-tanks including Google, Amazon, Foxconn and TVS group among others.
Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, inaugurated the Conclave, which was held on 23rd October 2018.
The conclave aimed at generating a greater realization of the AI/ML ecosystem in and around Chennai and facilitated the stakeholders to have a brainstorming session about the needs for this ecosystem to thrive and grow further.
This event for the first time brought together a significant number of AI/ML deep technology start-ups in Chennai in a single platform. This will lead to greater awareness of the possibilities in this space among the various companies as well as students and academics from various colleges. A specific outcome that we are looking forward to is a greater synergy between the participants and increased collaboration among the different stake holders.
Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. Santhosh K. Misra IAS, Commissioner (e-Governance) and CEO, Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency, highlighted the importance of AI in the development initiatives of TNeGA in Agriculture, Healthcare and Education.
He spoke about the importance on AI and analytics in the Tamil Nadu e-Governance and elaborated how the Tamil Nadu Government is investing and partnering with education institution such as IIT Madras to enhance the data driven governance through AI and blockchain initiatives in agriculture, health and education sectors.
Ms Anna Roy, Advisor NITI Aayog, spoke on collaboration between Industry and Academia, the importance of AI Skilling and NITI Aayog Initiatives on AI Skilling
Speaking later, Prof B. Ravindran, Head, Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, said, “The energy and enthusiasm from the participants showed how vibrant the AI/ML community is in Tamil Nadu. As an outcome of this event, we are looking to accelerate the Government-Industry-Academia partnership in developing the AI/ML ecosystem.”
The conclave had a tremendous response with more than 250 attendees and was a platform for Government officials, Business Leaders, Data Science practitioners and students to share emerging trends, challenges and best practices in the domain.
Addressing the Conclave, Mr. Venkat Viswanathan, Founder and Chariman, Latent View, focused on what has been done in the industry so far and provided with used cases on how Latentview Analytics developed innovative platform for social media analytics for beauty giant such as Revlon and Auto giant BMW. Also, best practices of companies world over, that are using AI in their digital transformation journey.
A power packed panel discussion on ‘Skills to succeed in an AI-driven digital world’ was also held with thought leaders from Industry and Academia. The discussion provided insights on skills required to succeed in a AI Driven world. Also a number of start-ups showcased their AI / ML products and platforms that can solve a range of business problems across industries. They include:
Ø Mobius Knowledge Services – Automated Lead Generation from websites
Ø Facetagr – Face The Future
Ø Buddihealth – Health Care Revenue Cycle Automation
Ø Gyan Data – Sandman
Ø Botminds – AutoML for Text Documents
Ø Burning Glass Technologies – Data Driven Work Force Analysis
Ø LatentView – Connected Vehicle Analytics Platform