IIT Madras Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science & AI looks to help Healthcare Sector in India adopt AI

CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ (IIT Madras) Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI) organised the ‘Fifth AI/ML Conclave on Healthcare’ today (17th August 2023) in collaboration with Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) and Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems medicinE (IBSE).

The objective was to bring together various stakeholders from clinical institutes, hospitals, medical centres, start-ups and industry across India to present the current research in the healthcare domain being undertaken in the academia and the industry.

The event also featured panel discussions to specifically discuss the start-up space in AI in healthcare in India and the role of responsible AI in the Indian context. Research posters from RBCDSAI students were also showcased alongside demonstrations from various startups and industries.

The RBCDSAI is a premier Data Science and AI centre at IIT Madras, is engaged in developing AI tools and technologies in the healthcare domain.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Conclave, Mr. Ashok Venkitaraman, Director, Cancer Science Institute, Singapore, said, “Data Science is driving a revolution in healthcare and it is coming shortly.”

Mr. Ashok Venkitaraman added, “the IBSE initiative started in IIT Madras in 2014 has grown to a vibrant research ecosystem poised to lead the revolution in India.”

The RBCDSAI faculty will be engaging with clinical institutes, hospitals, medical centres, startups and industry to develop policies on deploying AI tools, associated challenges, and India-specific context challenges, ensuring these AI technologies are explainable, robust, inclusive, equitable and responsible.

Sharing her views on this AI and Healthcare, Ms. Shinjini Bhatnagar, Distinguished Professor, Maternal and Child Health, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), said, “understanding where the data comes from is crucial for deriving useful insights through data science. Hence collaborations between health scientists and data scientists are essential for developing solutions in this space.”

AI and Data Science have been key drivers in enabling growth across industries with the Healthcare sector being no exception. When it comes to this sector, the proliferation of AI and data science spans across the entire healthcare business spectrum ranging from research, manufacturing to the aftermarket.

Setting the context for the Conclave, Prof. B. Ravindran, Head of RBCDSAI and CeRAI, IIT Madras, said, “The event has been designed to help industry know what AI can bring to the table. One of the key mandates of RBCDSAI is to encourage wider adoption of AI and AI enabled services. In this conclave we are reaching out to the Healthcare sector to enable a better understanding of application of AI in the Healthcare sector. The RBC DSAI organizes an event every month to reach out to people and enrich the AI ecosystem. We urge researchers, faculty and industry in the event to connect with each other and explore potential collaborations.”

Highlighting the importance and outcomes of this Conclave, Further, Prof. Himanshu Sinha, Coordinator of the Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine, IIT Madras, said, “Events like this conclave that bring together people from a cross-section of stakeholders are crucial to the evolution of AI in a direction that benefits the society at large.”

This conclave explored how AI can be a key enabler across business practices in the Healthcare industry such as product development, Healthcare services and manufacturing, to name a few. The event included deep-dive sessions on building Healthcare AI startups in India and Responsible Ai for Healthcare.

Around 20 speakers delivered lectures during the conclave, which attracted more than 200 participants, with 75 per cent from industry and the rest from the academic and student community.