India to host first-ever global AI summit in Oct, to boost innovation

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has called the first-ever Global IndiaAI 2023 Summit on October 14 and 15. The event will see participation of leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) players, researchers, startups, and investors, from across the world.

Last November, India assumed the chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). The leadership of GPAI and G20 has provided the country with an unprecedented opportunity to lead on the emerging tech front. 

Inspired by the two chapters of the SemiconIndia Summit, the government will conduct the global event to boost local innovation and showcase AI-deployed public infrastructure tools. The conference is likely to cover a wide spectrum of topics, including Next Generation Learning and Foundation AI models.

 “What makes India so attractive for AI is the diversity it offers. Our diversity will be an addition to the quality of datasets for any large language model or any AI learning model. What we want is that AI should be responsible so that user harm is curbed and innovation is encouraged,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology. 

The minister added that the aim was to ensure a collaborative and participatory approach, steering AI to enhance governance and transforming lives while building global partnerships and actively shaping the world’s technology landscape.

At the conference, global experts will deliberate on AI’s applications in healthcare, governance, and next-generation electric vehicles, future AI research trends, AI computing systems, investment opportunities, and nurturing AI talent.

“The Global IndiaAI 2023 conference is tentatively planned for October 14/15 and it will bring together the best and brightest in AI from India and around the world. This summit is expected to evolve and become a must attend event on the annual calendar of the Global AI industry, startups, practitioners, researchers, and students,” the minister said.

The event will also showcase the vibrant IndiaAI initiatives such as Digital India Bhashini, India Datasets programme, IndiaAI Future Design programme for startups, and IndiaAI FutureSkills programme dedicated to nurturing world-class AI talent.

“The huge success of the past two editions of the SemiconIndia conference by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-ji firmly put India on the global semicon map. This enabled India to become a catalyst for investments and growth within the sector. The Global IndiaAI summit will also catalyze India’s AI landscape and innovation ecosystem,” Chandrasekhar said.

Under its IndiaAI programme, so far, the centre has conducted several consultations with industry stakeholders for launching the India Datasets programme. Four working groups of representatives from the government, academic institutions, and start-ups have been set up for designing India dataset platforms and centres of excellence on AI.

The minister said the working groups have presented a holistic framework for the IndiaAI initiative, which revolves around pillars of the programme – AI in Governance, AI Computing & Systems, Data for AI, AI IP & Innovation and Skilling in AI. These pillars will form an integral part of the upcoming conference’s agenda.