AI could double value of digital economy by 2025: Huawei
New Delhi, May 29: Artificial Intelligence (AI) could almost double the value of the global digital economy to $23 trillion by 2025 from $12.9 trillion in 2017, said a Huawei study on Tuesday.
However, a scarcity of AI talent worldwide threatens this growth, showed the study, Global Connectivity Index (GCI) 2018, which is now in its fifth year.
The digital economy accounted for 17.1 per cent of global GDP in 2017, it added.
The research suggests that governments worldwide need to re-think education for a future workplace redefined by AI and start building a healthy, collaborative, and open AI ecosystem to attract and retain competitive AI talent.
"We are now witnessing a paradigm shift initiated by AI," said Kevin Zhang, President of Huawei Corporate Marketing.
"According to the GCI study, advanced economies that saw growth from ICT development plateau are using Intelligent Connectivity to open new opportunities, while some developing economies are also finding ways to tap the new technology to speed up their own strategic growth plans," Zhang added.
The study found that industries are embedding AI in key enabling technologies -- broadband, data centres, Cloud, big data and IoT (Internet of Things) -- to turn connectivity into Intelligent Connectivity, unleashing innovation to propel a new wave of economic growth.
In 2018, the GCI broadened its research scope from 50 to 79 nations. For the first time, every nation in the Index saw GCI scores improve.
From 64 in 2017, India improved its ranking to 63 in the 2018 GCI Index which was topped by the US.
The GCI 2018 also discovered that to effectively deploy AI on a large scale, countries need three equally important components in place -- computing power, labelled data and algorithms.
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Five killed as moving bus catches fire in Lucknow
Lucknow (PTI): Five passengers, including two children, were killed when a private bus caught fire in the Mohanlalganj area here early Thursday, police said.
They said the incident occurred around 5 am on Kisan Path, a major roadway on the outskirts of Lucknow.
According to sources, the bus was carrying 80 passengers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mohanlalganj) Rajneesh Verma said the bus was en route to Delhi from Begusarai in Bihar when it suddenly caught fire.
"Initial investigation suggests that the fire may have started due to a short circuit in the bus' gearbox," Verma told PTI.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the fire started. It spread rapidly and five passengers -- two women, two children and a man -- died as they were unable to get out in time. Several other passengers sustained injuries and have been taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
Police identified the deceased as Lakkhi Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2) and Madhusudan (21).
According to eyewitnesses, the bus did not come to a halt immediately after the fire broke out. The flames were visible from almost a kilometre away.
Firefighters reached the spot promptly and managed to control the blaze within half an hour. The bus was gutted with only its metal frame remaining.
Police found that the emergency exit of the bus did not open, trapping passengers sitting in the rear section.
According to authorities, a probe to determine the exact cause of the fire is underway.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
"The chief minister has instructed the district administration officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work and immediately take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
