Niti Aayog Releases National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence

In furtherance of the Indian Finance Minister’s, Arun Jaitley, budget speech for 2018-2019 he mandated the establishment of a national program for artificial intelligence. The Niti Aayog has released a National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence. Niti Aayog is a governmental organization dedicated to using the legal system to further national development. It seeks to address specific sectors of the economy, which the government seas could benefit significantly from the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI). The strategy extensively discusses the current state of AI in the country, the global state of AI, and the approach the state seeks to adopt for the implementation of AI.

The framework addresses three areas – generating opportunity for economic impact in India, promoting social development and growth, and to serve as a solution provider for emerging and developing economies. Plotting future demand, the report notes that financial services and emerging technology would see the highest growth, closely followed by development in transportation, logistics, the automotive industry, and energy resources.

The strategy has chosen to address five sectors in particular, namely, health care, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart mobility and transportation. The sectional each profile addresses potential growth and opportunities available in the market. Finally, the report lays down potential challenges and the skills needed to develop AI within the country as a field to leverage the benefit for the economy.