– Ronita Torcato

India’s first ‘AI Living Lab’, which will benefit industry groups and small businesses, was inaugurated at the Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University (RT-MSSU) on February 18 by the state minister for skill, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation development, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and the parliamentary minister of state of Germany, Dr. Barbel Koffler.

This is a joint venture between the RT-MSSU, Maharashtra based companies such as Accurate Industrial Controls Limited, Litex Electrical, Ashwini Magnets and PMT Machines with several German institutions including the renowned Leipzig University.

Various MoUs have also been signed by Dr. Koffler and Minister Lodha in the presence of Maharashtra state chief secretary Rajesh Agarwal, additional chief secretary of the skill department Manisha Verma, vice chancellor Dr. Apurva Palkar, German consul Christoph Hellir , GIZ director Ulkare Ebeling, skill development commissioner Amit Saini, and director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Madhavi Sardeshmukh.

Minister Lodha referred to the concept of Swadeshi, and noted that prime minister Narendra Modi took the role of global friendship seriously by providing indigenous vaccines to more than 75 countries around the world during the Coronavirus outbreak.

“The ‘AI Living Lab’ started with the cooperation of Germany is also an example of this,” Minister Lodha said.

German minister Dr. Bärbel Koffler said that artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a key role in shaping the future of humanity.

“If we all work together and use it properly, it will be possible to solve complex issues in science, and to overcome many problems in health, education, industry and everyday life. AI is also bringing about major changes in the industrial sector. Many international companies and institutions are collaborating with each other to conduct new research. There is a huge amount of investment in this field, and millions of professionals and experts are working in it, ” said Dr Koffler .

State chief secretary Rajesh Agarwal said that artificial Intelligence is a kind of industrial revolution which is fundamentally changing the structure of the economy and the way we work. He said that the new generation is embracing the impact of AI more rapidly and is seeing huge opportunities in it.

Apurva Palkar, vice chancellor, Maharashtra State Ratan Tata Skill University, said the ‘AI Living Lab’ initiative will further strengthen cooperation between Germany and India in the field of skill development and artificial intelligence (AI).

The ‘ Living Lab ‘ will enable students, academics and industry experts to jointly diagnose and analyse problems and suggest viable solutions through AI technology, which will benefit industries across the country, Palkar explained.