One of the common questions I hear from customers during our initial meetings is how they can experiment with AI to understand the'art of possibility' and the eventual return on investment. I believe experimenting is absolutely the right thing to do since the most difficult task at hand is not implementation via technology but identification of the right use case. Being realistic about what you wish to solve or accomplish is the need of the hour, and this is where business and technology leaders must come together. It is also essential to strike a balance between the accuracy and precision you strike on day one versus the eventual goal post. The partnership should lead to choosing a use case that gives a head start to their AI journey and yet qualify to be a significant one from a business impact standpoint.

Penguins inhabit one of the most secluded parts of the planet, yet human activity is threatening their existence. Warmer temperatures associated with climate change are melting the Antarctic ice faster than ever, eroding the grounds where penguins live, feed and breed, while commercial overfishing and incidents like oil spills are depleting their food supply. A 2008 World Wildlife Fund study reveals that if the global average temperatures increase by just 2 C – a distinct possibility over the next 40 years – around 50 percent of emperor penguins and 75 percent of Adelie penguins could disappear. Conservation efforts for penguins are easier said than done. Their secluded existence in the Antarctic region means there is very little data available, and manned missions are difficult, especially during the harsh winters.

He walks into the meeting room and starts talking about the Indian Premier League (IPL), a popular club cricket tournament in India, and team jersey colors. "Imagine two teams playing in blue and yellow jerseys on a green cricket pitch," he says. As hard as I try to imagine Chennai playing Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium, I'm left wondering whether I am in the right room and if he's the person I'm supposed to be talking to about Microsoft's role in making the physical and digital world accessible to everyone. As it turns out, he is indeed the one. "You may not realize but people with color blindness might not be able to see an IPL match between Chennai and Mumbai. On Windows 10, you can select a color filter in the ease of access settings that enables people with color blindness to access that content. It is built-in by default and you don't need to add anything," he exclaims without skipping a beat.

A cytopathologist at SRL Diagnostics' Central Reference Laboratory in Mumbai, screens a Pap smear sample for the screening of cervical cancer under his microscope. His trained eyes work with an apparent effortlessness. However, there is an unspoken urgency in his actions as he strives to complete the set of samples for the day. Along with his team of five members, he screens about 200 slides for cervical cancer every day, apart from another 100 slides for diagnosing other types of cancers. SRL Diagnostics, the largest diagnostics laboratory company in India, has been witnessing an increase in the demand for cervical cancer screening. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer among women worldwide.

By 2021, digital transformation will add an estimated USD 154 billion to India's GDP, and increase the growth rate by 1 percent annually, according to an IDC study commissioned by Microsoft. The study also predicts that approximately 60 percent of India's GDP will be derived from digital products or services by 2021. With the government's vision of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog believes technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) will propel India to achieve that target and even go beyond. "Our ambition should not just be to become a USD 5 trillion economy. Instead, we should aim to become a USD 10 trillion economy in the long run, growing at 9-10 percent year after year for three decades or more, to be able to lift our young population above the poverty line. All of this is not possible without using a large amount of data, AI and Machine Learning (ML) and bringing disruption in a vast range of areas," Kant said during a fireside chat with Anant Maheshwari, President Microsoft India at the Digital Governance Tech Summit 2019 in New Delhi.

September 05, 2019: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that it will conduct Capacity Building Programs for high school teachers in association with Microsoft India with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. Meant for teachers of grades 8-10, the program will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting September 11, 2019. AI and intelligent technologies are becoming all-pervasive today, transforming organizations across sectors and redefining the way we work. To equip the workforce of tomorrow, it is critical to the ramp up the institutional set-up and build capability among educators as well as integrate advanced technologies into the teaching process. This program will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them to integrate technology into teaching in a safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of all students.

By 2021, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will more than double the rate of innovation improvements (x2.2 times) and employee productivity gains (x2.3 times) in India, according to the country's business leaders. The study from Microsoft and IDC Asia/Pacific, Future Ready Business: Assessing Asia Pacific's Growth Potential Through AI[1] surveyed 200 business leaders and 202 workers in India. While 77% of business leaders polled agreed that AI is instrumental for their organization's competitiveness, only one-third of organizations in India have embarked on their AI journeys. Those companies that have adopted AI expect it to increase their competitiveness by 2.3 times in 2021. "Today, every company is a software company, and increasingly, every interaction is digital. To be successful in this new world, organizations need to be fast adopters of best-in-class technology, including AI. In addition, they need to start building their own unique digital talent and ensure that all of this is based on trust and security," said Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India.

Meet Team Caeli–the runners-up of Imagine Cup 2019 World Championship! Nine out of 10 people in the world breathe polluted air, causing as many as seven million deaths every year, the World Health Organization estimates. The World Bank pegs these premature deaths cost the global economy USD225 billion in lost labor income in 2013. Statistics like these and their own experience living in the vicinity of New Delhi, which has one of the world's worst air quality, led five students from Manav Rachna Institute of Research & Studies in Faridabad to embark on a mission to use technology to tackle the problem. The team, comprising Aakash Bhadana, Ishlok Vashishta, Vasu Kaushik, Dipesh Narwat, and Bharat Sundal, came up with Caeli, a smart anti-pollution face mask and portable nebulizer to help those with breathing ailments like asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.