intel India has collaborated with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) under the Ministry of Education to integrate concepts such as computational thinking, algorithmic thinking and tinkering along with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) in the formal education curriculum.
Launched in September 2022 with selected schools, the “AIoT Integration in School Curriculum” program enables both teachers and students to learn as well as apply emerging technologies. The initiative is significant considering how the pandemic has accelerated the need for digital adoption, and to ensure that the future generation is ready for a tech-driven world, Intel, AIM and CBSE Have joined hands.
Shweta Khurana, Senior Director – APJ, Government Partnership & Initiatives, Global Government Affairs at Intel, spoke exclusively to News18 about the initiatives and how they will shape India’s future.
Skilled India
Khurana said teachers create integrated subject lesson plans with AIoT (AI and IoT) to help improve learning outcomes, and once skilled students are empowered to create indigenous AIoT solutions to solve local and global challenges. is made more empowered for
While the first phase focuses on training subject and computer teachers on AIoT, encouraging them to create lesson plans based on their new learnings and then imparting knowledge in the classroom, students will be able to learn these technologies in their schools’ AI and tinkering labs. would be encouraged. and use your learnings to create projects with a social impact.
According to Khurana: “The initiative focuses on building technical skills by teaching about various AI domains, data cleaning, prototyping, circuit building, programming, and more. It focuses equally on learning about building social impact and solution-building skills such as statistical analysis, critical thinking, effective communication, problem-solving, and more.
“We want to help develop a digital-first mindset, enable teachers and students to learn emerging technologies and develop the ability to apply them in a responsible way,” he added.
The National Education Policy 2020 recognizes the potential of AI and implies that it can be used to improve teaching and learning processes, make education more inclusive and aid decision making in educational governance.
The NEP also recommends that students and teachers develop AI-related skills, as well as establish centers of excellence in AI education and research. It seeks to promote the use of technology in education to improve the quality and relevance of learning outcomes.
Khurana told News18: “We consider NEP 2020 as a guiding principle that recognizes the importance of AI in the modern world and suggests its integration into the education system to ensure that students are successful in the future.” equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to be
the challenges
However, he clarified that while there is a policy framework (NEP 2020) and a desire to build public-private partnerships for scale, some of the key challenges are the lack of necessary digital infrastructure and the need for significant investment to build it , as well as the need to increase awareness of its benefits to encourage adoption of AI.
“Addressing the above challenges requires a multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders such as government, industry, academia and civil society. If these challenges are addressed, India can become a global leader in AI. It will be on its way to becoming one of the world’s leading industries, with a workforce that is truly future ready,” said Khurana.
When asked about the misuse of such technology by the youth, he said: “We introduce the students to the fundamentals of AI – domain, applications, possibilities and impact on our lives; They gain insight into the ethical concerns that revolve around AI and learn more about AI transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy concerns. Additionally, examples of responsible AI are shared with youth to help them understand the impact of AI and its ethical considerations.
bridging the digital gap
The global company is working on several initiatives in India in collaboration with various central government organizations as well as state and local governments to create an AI-ready generation.
These government-backed programs are designed to bridge the digital skills gap and empower youth to meet the growing demands of industry, making them future-ready.
For example, Khurana said that since 2019, Intel has been collaborating with CBSE and building the capacity of over 20,000 teachers and working with over 350,000 students through boot camps and mentoring camps. In addition, Intel has also launched an AI student community in 2021 and a community for educators in 2022.
Similarly, in 2020, it collaborated with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the IT Ministry and launched a new initiative of ‘Responsible AI for Youth’ program to skill youth from government schools across India. According to Khurana, the program has reached 50,000+ students.
He also talked about the ‘AI for All’ (2021) program launched by PM Narendra Modi In association with CBSE.
Available in 11 Indian languages, according to Khurana, the program aimed to create AI awareness among one million citizens in 1 year, and has now enabled 3 million people across India in less than 2 years.
Furthermore, she said that Intel started a program in 2022 with the Department of Science and technology INSPIRE-Praaskar Standard Scheme to provide AI skilling to awardees, which has skilled over 10,000 students till date.
In addition to all this, the UNNATI program is expected to help equip engineering students in India with industry-relevant data-centric skills.
Khurana also said: “100 Intel Unnati data-centric labs were set up in emerging technologies across universities and engineering institutes in India. The initiative will provide long-term capacity in technology and laboratory infrastructure to higher educational institutions, allowing greater focus on research and innovation.
“This year, we have already announced the Intel AI for the Future Workforce program, which is accredited by the National Council of Vocational Education and Training, which is aligned with the National Skill Qualification Framework Level 4. It has 510 hours of learning that helps empower the workforce of the future. AI skills required for employment,” he said.
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