India mulls using AI for better governance: Prabhu
Bengaluru, July 12 : India is keen on implementing the disruptive technologies of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for better governance, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday.
"India is keen to take AI as the thrust area and looks forward to implement AI in all governance and across the industry," Prabhu said addressing the 14th India Innovation Summit by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) through video conferencing.
The central government will provide its support for the AI industry to build and maintain a start-up ecosystem that promotes innovation, Prabhu added.
The two-day CII summit from July 12-13 is being held with the theme 'India.AI - Driving the Future for the World', with the participation of Indian industry and government officials.
In a world that is continually evolving with disrupting technology, Karnataka will leave no stone unturned in making the state future-ready, the state's Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT&BT) Minister K.J. George said on the occasion.
"The state is placing emphasis on training and capacity building. New talent development centres and incubation facilities are being set up in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad," George said.
The governments must also make sure to allow the industry to try out AI-based applications in an environment that is safe and secure, added the Chairman of India Innovation Summit and co-founder of software major Infosys Kris Gopalakrishnan.
"AI will be good for the world provided the technology is used appropriately and this is where the government will have a role. We need to create a sand box for AI introduction in India so that we don't slow down progress, while also ensuring regulations are in place," he said.
India has the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the world in AI by educating and re-training its workforce, he added.
The summit will deliberate on topics like impact of AI on smart farming, healthcare and the use of AI in learning, automobiles and the like.
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TMC MLA Humayun Kabir apologises for claiming 'coterie' influencing Mamata's decisions
Kolkata (PTI): Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir has apologised to the party's leadership for his recent comment that a "coterie" was influencing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's key decisions.
Kabir, the MLA of Bharatpur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, expressed his apology on Friday in reply to a show cause notice issued by the party's disciplinary committee.
"Yes, I have sent a reply. I will certainly follow party discipline. But I think being a person from the rural belt, not conversant with the ways of the city, I faced this situation for speaking my mind. However, I had not said anything against my party or its leadership," he told reporters.
"Our CM epitomises the spirit of 'Maa-Mati-Manush' and being a person of the grassroots level, I always stay rooted to the ground. Maybe I should have been more careful about my way of expressing," he said.
A senior member of the TMC's legislative disciplinary committee said the reply to the show cause letter was received, and a decision on it will be communicated soon.
Kabir, however, said some other TMC MPs had on earlier occasions made comments against party colleagues but were not censured.
On Thursday, he met the CM in the assembly's lobby where she had asked him to reply to the show-cause notice first.
On November 26, Kabir had said a coterie within the party was taking certain decisions to cement their position and was influencing the CM's key decisions for their short-term gains.
He had said this a day after the TMC national executive meeting where the party had categorically asked its leaders not to make comments in public against any internal decision and formed disciplinary committees at different levels.
Kabir had earlier advocated for giving more responsibility to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reiterating that the Diamond Harbour MP was undoubtedly the number two in the party's hierarchy and those trying to undermine his influence would not succeed.
