At the People+AI event, Nandan Nilekani talks about India’s different way of looking at artificial intelligence (AI). Instead of just trying to make big language models (LLMs), Nilekani says it’s more important to make sure everyone can use AI, no matter how much money they have or how powerful they are. He also says that using AI can help solve the problems faced by many people in India. Nandan Nilekani disagrees with negative predictions about AI. He thinks they’re just meant to protect certain interests. Nilekani believes AI development should be open and everyone should work together on it. He doesn’t want anyone to control AI just for themselves. Instead, he wants AI to be available to everyone, not just a few people.
Yesterday, we hosted 'Making an Adbhut India' – it was a culmination of many innovative ideas, big dreams, and courageous plans – all with one goal: Improving the lives of a billion people.@NandanNilekani pic.twitter.com/46RErztXau
— People+ai (@PeoplePlusAI) May 8, 2024
At the heart of Nilekani’s message is the idea of leveraging existing technological capabilities rather than waiting for hypothetical advancements or new technologies of $10-trillion model. He wants to adopt practical and simple solutions that can directly benefit India’s vast population. Through this pragmatic approach, every Indian can benefit from AI, making growth and progress possible for everyone. Also, Nilekani criticised those who spread fear about AI causing harm and disappearing jobs, suggesting they’re mainly protecting their own interests. He emphasised India’s commitment to openness in AI development.
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At the People+AI event, organized by the not-for-profit EkStep Foundation, they introduced the Open Cloud Compute (OCC) project. Pramod Verma, the chief technology officer at EkStep Foundation, explained that the Open Cloud Compute (OCC) project aims to connect many small data centres or computing setups through a shared network, making it easier to use and find resources. In simple words, this project is a big effort to make a network where AI technology can easily be used. It is meant to provide more computing power and foster innovation in AI applications across various sectors.
During the event, leaders from the AI community showcased innovative solutions designed to solve and tackle real-world challenges. These initiatives, presented by prominent figures like Nikhil Kumar (Setu), Sunayana Sitaram (Microsoft Research), Jagadish Babu (EkStep Foundation), Charu Chadha (Rockefeller Foundation), and Rahul Deora (Fynd), highlighted how AI can help with important social problems.
Members of the AI community introduced solutions that fit with the goal of ‘Making an Adbhut India’ Kumar, a co-founder of the Indian fintech company Setu, revealed Sesame. It is India’s first special computer program for banking, finance, and insurance. Made together with Sarvam AI, this new tech could completely change how these industries work, bringing in fresh ideas and chances for development.
Also, the DRiefcase app, part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), presented its findings from a pilot survey. They demonstrated how they use an AI framework called Jan Ki Baat to gather feedback from patients at a government hospital in Kanpur. The survey focused on the ABDM Scan & Share module, aiming to cut patient wait times at hospitals.
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