Indian researchers have constantly been proving their worth before the world yet we see a very meagre amount of Indian involvement in the global surge in AI development. The Indian academia produces a lesser number of machine learning papers than a single Chinese university. We are definitely not at the position to battle China or USA in terms of technological advancements but the stats are a bit to gloomy for any tech savvy Indian.
Where does India stand in the global scenario?
The Indian government has taken a much needed initiative to boost the artificial intelligence technology in India. $ 450 million have been invested in this regard. But India spends only 0.6% of its GDP on research. This area probably deserves a little more government funding in order to flourish.
85.58% of all research projects are handled by the universities. And 42% of all research work is done from 15 universities among 129 deemed universities, 700 degree-granting institutions and 35,539 affiliated colleges. Then again most of the curriculum taught by the universities regarding artificial intelligence is pretty much out of date. As a whole, India is lagging behind the world in terms of AI development and use of data science.
What is the remedy?
These problems have not arisen in a day. The system has gradually grown out of relevance. Just like once a popular software Tally is now obscured by various new tools, and has been left out of many advanced level courses. The education system should follow suit with the world and create better and more abundant opportunities of learning effective AI and data science.
1. The state needs to increase its investments on the development of the AI technology. This is already in process under the NITI Ayog project. Hopefully this will soon bring dynamism to the scenario.
2. There need to be more collaborative efforts by Universities and Industrial bodies. If academia walks hand in hand with the industries and research is directed towards the most practical and relevant areas of AI and machine learning then it can be a game changer for India.
4. Better awareness among students about the opportunities in the field of data science can help them plan their careers better.
The good news
• Many private institutes around India are providing state of the art data science training. These courses are mostly in line with the global industrial trends. And you get ready for the job. Python data science course has found phenomenal popularity in India as the language itself has proved to be extremely handy for data science work.
• Indigenous research and development in the field of AI may be lagging behind a bit right now but the number of papers is increasing at a 14% rate which is better than the global standard of 6%. So, we are on a right path and with collective efforts by professionals, students, researches and industrialists India is all set to shine.