IndiaAI Mission to Fund PhD Research and Talent Development, Says Ashwini Vaishnaw

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi — Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday emphasized the critical role of collaborative preparedness in harnessing the opportunities of artificial intelligence, during his address at the 'IndiaAI – Make AI in India, Make AI Work for India' program held in Delhi.

In a forward-looking announcement, Vaishnaw revealed that the government is working to launch a PhD programme under the IndiaAI Mission to support foundational research in artificial intelligence. “We are working on a PhD programme so that the foundational research in AI can also be funded out of the AI mission,” he said.

The minister also outlined a large-scale AI talent development program aimed at nurturing skills across all levels — from basic to advanced — to establish a complete and self-sustaining AI ecosystem in the country.

Vaishnaw urged stakeholders across sectors to view the ongoing technological shift not as a threat but as an opportunity. “The IT industry will go through a major transition period. We should capture this transition as an opportunity rather than getting disrupted by it,” he remarked.