Hyderabad to host global AI summit in July

Hyderabad to host global AI summit in July

The Telangana government plans to organise a global Artificial Intelligence summit in Hyderabad in July, the State’s IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu said here on Thursday.

The decision is in line with the State government focus on making Hyderabad and Telangana AI capital of the world, he said, opening a centre of excellence for AI and Machine Learning - the Union government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established at startup incubator T-Hub here.

Stating IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan has nearly finalised July 1-2 as dates for the AI Summit, the Minister sought to highlight how the State government is keen on developing the AI ecosystem by inviting leading AI firms to set up operations. The government has already expressed intent to establish an AI City. The government is of the opinion that Hyderabad can not just match up but surge ahead of others in the field of AI on the back of the talent pool availability.

The summit is expected to witness participation of leading firms as well as AI and ML leaders. It will play host to discussions on a wide ranging topics, Mr. Sridhar Babu said, pointing to how the State was is already driving some ground breaking AI projects, including those for farm produce, verification of pensioners and detection of potholes.

“We have a staggering 1,774 publications on AI ... strength lies in robotics and computer vision, accounting for a whopping 61% of patent filings in the State,” he said, stressing need to enhance the engagement amid AI touching various spheres.

The DST and T-Hub, in a release, said the Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Technology Hub (MATH), the CoE, is one of its kind and set up to foster innovation, create jobs and nurture startups. It aims to generate over 500 AI-related jobs by 2025 and nurture more than 150 startups annually, positioning itself as the go-to destination for AI-driven initiatives in the country.

MATH CEO Rahul Paith, who briefed the media with T-Hub CEO Mahankali Srinivas Rao, said more 62 startups from among more 2,000 that applied have been onboarded and a few more will be included. The programme will also be made available in a virtual mode.