By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 12 Aug: Raj Bhavan hosted a one-day workshop, today, titled “Building Tomorrow with AI, Metaverse, and Quantum Computing,” organised under the aegis of Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Technical University with the collaboration of UPES, Dehradun, and Quantum University, Roorkee. Experts from the universities presented their insights on these topics.
Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) was the Chief Guest on the occasion. During the event, he launched Raj Bhavan’s digital initiative, the Governor’s AI chatbot, featuring “Speech-to-Text” and “Text-to-Speech” capabilities. This chatbot, developed by the technical university, will convert the Governor’s speeches from video to text and text to video.
The Governor stated that the future belongs to AI, Metaverse, and Quantum Computing. He emphasised that the world is rapidly changing, with these technologies playing a significant role. Nations that do not adopt these technologies will fall behind in the race for development. He noted that AI is at the core of this change, reshaping industries, society, and the very framework of existence. Proper and cautious use of these technologies is crucial for advancing societal changes.
Addressing the students, the Governor mentioned that the future of AI, Metaverse, and Quantum Computing rests in their hands. He encouraged them to harness their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to shape the future. He highlighted that India is well-positioned to lead globally in AI due to its youthful and tech-savvy population and stressed the need to focus on digital literacy and skill development.
He also awarded appreciation certificates to Prof Vishal Kumar and students Mayank Bisht, Deepak Singh, and Shubham from the Engineering College, Dwarahat, Almora, for developing the AI chatbot.
Dr Vishal Kumar and Dr Ajit Singh from the Technical University presented on AI, discussing its potential to reach unprecedented heights of human progress while also presenting significant challenges. They highlighted AI’s role in driving innovation across various sectors and automating routine tasks, while also noting concerns about job displacement, privacy, and ethical dilemmas. Dr Vijay Shekhar and Pankaj Badoni from UPES described the Metaverse as more than just a topic of discussion but a paradigm shift. It represents a collective virtual shared space created by the convergence of advanced physical reality and virtually persistent spaces, encompassing all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. Dr Vivek Kumar and Dr Amrita Kumari from Quantum University described Quantum Computing not as a distant concept but as a reality unfolding before us. They discussed its potential as a field of limitless possibilities, where human imagination and computational power converge.
The workshop was attended by Legal Advisor to the Governor Amit Kumar Sirohi, Additional Secretary to the Governor Swati S Bhadoria, Vice-Chancellors of various universities including Prof Omkar Singh (Uttarakhand Technical University), Prof Surekha Dangwal (Doon University), Prof NK Joshi (Sridev Suman University), Prof MLB Bhatt (HNB Uttarakhand Medical Education University), Dr Arun Kumar Tripathi (Uttarakhand Ayurved University), and Prof Dinesh Chandra Shastri (Uttarakhand Sanskrit University), along with university students.
