Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second term saw a slew of initiatives started in order to adapt cutting-edge technologies in the economy. The Interim Budget 2019 discussed the national program for the development of emerging technologies like robotics, IoT and AI, among others. However, the Indian think tank NITI Aayog has clearly been at the forefront of looking at the adoption of new-age technologies for bettering government service. In this article, we list down the top 5 AI collaborations between the Government of India and the tech giants in 2019. After signing a statement of intent (SoI) last year, this year in March, NITI Aayog joined hands with ABB and organised a workshop in order to help the MSMEs to understand how the Indian economy can be digitised with the help of emerging technologies like AI, big data and digital connectivity.

As the Narendra Modi government goes bullish on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, blockchain and data analytics, the daunting task ahead is to train millions of government officials so that these disruptive technologies can be optimised for the benefit of over one billion-plus people. Beyond skilling students, young coders and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies, the onus is now on tech giants to train the men in the system -- especially in the information technology (IT) departments -- and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, is set to embark on this journey. There is already a lot of talk happening within the government agencies about the success they have had after moving to cloud. "This is the right time to skill them, train them in AI-enabled Cloud computing so that India can move faster on embracing new-age technologies. We have had successful meetings with senior government leaders on this subject as AWS is already leading in skilling the students and upskilling the workforce in the country," Peter Moore, Regional Managing Director for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Global Public Sector -- APAC and Japan, told IANS.

NEW DELHI: As the Narendra Modi government goes bullish on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud computing, Blockchain and data analytics, the daunting task ahead is to train millions of government officials so that these disruptive technologies can be optimised for the benefit of over one billion-plus people. Beyond skilling students, young coders and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies, the onus is now on tech giants to train the men in the system especially in the information technology (IT) departments and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, is set to embark on this journey. There is already a lot of talk happening within the government agencies about the success they have had after moving to Cloud. "This is the right time to skill them, train them in AI-enabled Cloud computing so that India can move faster on embracing new-age technologies. We have had successful meetings with senior government leaders on this subject as AWS is already leading in skilling the students and upskilling the workforce in the country," Peter Moore, Regional Managing Director for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Global Public Sector -- APAC and Japan, told IANS.

New Delhi: Microsoft India today launched a program under which it will train 5000 government employees over the next year on AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing skills. The program, called'Digital Governance Tech Tour', will comprise of physical and virtual workshops, said the company in a press release. The program was inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, chief executive of NITI Aayog, the government's policy think-tank and Ajay Prakash Sawhney, secretary, MeITY (The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology). The company said that the program will be open to technocrats and IT professionals across in the government, including employees of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs); government partners as well as solutions/systems integrators and is free of cost. Under the program, developers can earn the AZ-900 Certification, which demonstrates foundational level cloud computing skills on the spot at no cost, after clearing an exam.

Microsoft has revealed the Digital Governance Tech Tour, which is a national program to offer AI and Intelligent cloud computing skills to the Indian Government officials in charge of IT. The initiative includes a series of virtual and physical workshops and even aims to train around 5000 personnel in 12 months, the announcement says. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing technologies can extensively contribute and help accelerate this vision. Executive Opinion CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, said, "For our country, the power of AI, cloud services, and data analytics needs to be brought to bear in core sectors for inclusive economic growth. As we move beyond pilots and understand how to scale AI implementation and cloud adoption across states and sectors, it is vital to equip the ecosystem with the right know-how and skills. Collaboration with academia and the industry and initiatives such as this will help build the foundation towards an AI-enabled future."