Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday asked all the universities of J&K to set up Artificial Intelligence (AI) labs for cutting-edge research and innovation.

The L-G was addressing the ‘National Science Day’ seminar at the University of Kashmir in Srinagar.

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The Lieutenant Governor extended his greetings on the occasion and paid tributes to renowned scientist Sir CV Raman.

This year, the theme for National Science Day is “Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science and Innovation for Viksit Bharat.”

The Lieutenant Governor emphasized on promotion of advancements in science and technology, knowledge exchange and to foster creativity, innovation for a sustainable future.

Speaking on the unprecedented technological advancement taking place globally, he said, the AI Lab will be a separate entity within the Science and Technology Department through multidisciplinary collaboration with industry, researchers, educators and technologists.

“We cannot imagine a future without AI. It will have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives and that’s why it is critical to enable our youth to develop their AI knowledge, reskilling and upskilling of workforce to keep up with AI trends and to make J&K UT more competitive.

AI Labs in the Universities will directly coordinate with local industries for integration of new discoveries and innovation of AI into businesses. The research will also focus on the current status of AI use and ways to enhance its adoption to boost productivity and profit,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He further asked the Universities to adopt a flexible approach towards AI and offer short-term courses keeping in mind the rapid advancement of AI and according to the industry trends.

The Lieutenant Governor said, “Scientists, Technologists and Entrepreneurs will power the journey of Viksit Bharat. They will drive India’s scientific and technological progress and provide a strong foundation to the innovation ecosystem of Jammu Kashmir.”

“In the near future, AI will be most needed by health and emergency services workers, industry managers, and social and business leaders. It will be the responsibility of all AI labs of Universities to conduct workshops and weekly training modules for them so that our entire workforce in J&K becomes AI literate and leaders from various sectors are also better equipped to make the right decision.”

The Lieutenant Governor called upon the students and the faculty members to collectively work on integrated action, through a five-year plan, to use the power of new technology like AI in the development of Jammu Kashmir.

“Along with path-breaking discoveries, our focus should also be on such innovations that provide solutions to the challenges of different sectors at the local level. We also have to pay special attention to the fact that technology like AI should be according to ethical standards and be free from any kind of bias,” he added.

The Lieutenant Governor also lauded the valuable contribution of Kashmir University in scientific innovation and education sector.

Prof Ajit Kembhavi, Emeritus Professor, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Prof Anil Bharadwaj, Director Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, who joined through virtually, spoke on Astronomy for Citizen and progress of Space Science in India, respectively.

The seminar was organised by the Department of Physics, University of Kashmir, in collaboration with Vigyan Bharati, New Delhi commemorating the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ made by Sir CV Raman.

Prof Nilofer Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir; Saurabh Bhagat, Commissioner/Secretary, Science & Technology Department; Dr Som Dev Bharadwaj, Organizing Secretary, Vigyan Bharati; scientists, faculty members and youth in large number were present.