Conclave on AI for U’khand
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 5 Aug: Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) organised a one- day conclave on “AI for Uttarakhand” at the CM’s Official Residence here today. Besides the inaugural session inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, three technical sessions were also held covering various aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its possible use for development in Uttarakhand and in various sectors. The participants included Vice Chancellors and professors of various government and private universities and also experts from various central institutions like IIRS, IIT Roorkee besides some startup entrepreneurs in the AI sector based in the state.
The first session was titled “AI Ecosystem for Uttarakhand – Alignment with National Priorities”. The first speaker in this session was Vice-Chancellor, Graphic Era Hill University, Prof Sanjay Jasola, who discussed the challenges and opportunities for academic institutions in staying competitive amidst rapid technological advancements. He also informed that all technical students from the university are now encouraged to take up certificate courses on AI.
Dr Harish Karnatak, ISRO-IIRS highlighted the potential of AI in enhancing decision-making processes through the contextualisation of geospatial data. Group Capt Ashok Kumar (Retd), who is with the Ministry of Defence currently focused on the security concerns and ethical implications of AI technologies, particularly deep fake technology. He said that there are advantages as well as disadvantages of AI. It all depends on the user. If a bad man will use AI, he will use it for destructive purposes, whereas good persons will use it for the convenience of the society. He added that AI based technologies have also given rise to things such as deep fakes which can be very misleading and destructive for society. He added that AI can lead to solutions of many security concerns but also can cause several other security concerns but the country needs to be fully prepared to deal with that.
Dr Preet Deep Singh, Invest India, discussed attracting investment for future technologies and emphasised upon the need for data skills and infrastructure. Vice Chancellor of Uttaranchal University Prof Dharm Buddhi advocated for a multidisciplinary approach in higher education, while Prof Akshay Dwivedi from IIT Roorkee shared inputs from collaborative AI research projects.
The second thematic session, “Preparing for the Future – Infrastructure, Skills, and Innovation,” explored the essential infrastructure and skill sets needed to support AI initiatives. This session was coordinated by Prof Mayank Agrawal, Gurukul Kangri University. The session featured talks by Dr HS Bisht, CSIR-IIP, who discussed AI’s role in fundamental research and Dr Mani Madhukar, IBM India, who explored the industry’s impact on education. In addition, Vice Chancellor of Uttarakhand Ayurved University Prof AK Tripathi discussed about the integration of AI in traditional medical practices. Other speakers included Dr Preeti Kotiyal, VC of Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University, Startup Entrepreneurs Siddharth Madhav of TechnoHub Laboratories and Manas Upadhyay, DTOWN Robotics Ltd who gave a presentation on innovative education models and the potential of tech startups.
The third and the concluding session, “Making AI Work for Uttarakhand – Sector Specific Data and Use Cases,” showcased practical applications of AI across various sectors. Maitreyi Sharma, ACROKNACKS Technology Solutions discussed the impact of AI in the digital media sector. Dr Kamal Pandey, ISRO-IIRS spoke on integrating AI with remote sensing for intelligent decision making. Capt Kunal Uniyal, Maritech addressed logistics and traffic challenges through AI, while Rajat Vardhan, AgroNxt highlighted smart soil nutrient testing devices. Dr AS Nain from GBPUAT Pantnagar explored AI applications in agriculture, while Manish Kumar from Ashoka Buildcon discussed AI use cases in smart cities.
The conclave’s highlight was the concluding interactive session “AI Roadmap for Uttarakhand – Group Activity” which engaged participants in collaborative discussions to draft a comprehensive AI strategy for the state. This session aimed to consolidate ideas into actionable plans for leveraging AI to address regional challenges and drive sustainable development.
