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Day two of Cypher 2024 – India’s Biggest AI Conference, hosted by AIM Media House was filled with excitement, and the atmosphere felt electric. The highlight of the day? Football icon Bhaichung Bhutia took the stage to talk about what tech companies can learn from the world of sports.
His energy was infectious as he shared how a football team’s strategy, teamwork, and split-second decisions translate seamlessly into the fast-paced world of technology.
“We need to embrace technology if India is to grow as a sporting nation,” Bhutia said, drawing parallels between football and tech.
The crowd saw over 1500 participants from 600+ companies.
(Bhaichung Bhutia, Indian former footballer with Korak Roy, lead anchor, AIM Media House)But Bhutia’s inspiring session was not all. Shreevyas H M, Project Director at e-Governance, Government of Karnataka, took the stage with an eye-opening message: “AI is no longer the future, it’s now.”
In the country, AI is driving economic growth across industries including agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and education. Understanding this, the Karnataka AI cell aims to drive innovation, ensuring efficient service delivery while leveraging the vast amount of data it holds.
For instance, the government offers over 5,400 scholarships annually and provides a variety of pension schemes. “Traditionally, citizens would have to apply for these services, but with AI, we can proactively identify beneficiaries based on the data we have and provide these services automatically. This can significantly enhance decision-making and operational efficiency,” Shreevyas noted.
He mentioned that one major challenge the state government faces is implementation, while government schemes are often well-designed, reaching the intended beneficiaries can be difficult. So, AI can help streamline these processes, making public services, like property registration, more efficient and user-friendly.
Shreevyas highlighted, “Although Karnataka started its AI journey late, we are committed to using AI to improve service delivery.”
(Shreevyas H M, Project Director at e-Governance, Government of Karnataka)Further, Manu Kumar Jain, CEO of G42 India, lit up the stage with insights on NANDA during a fireside chat with AIM editor Amit Raja Naik.
(Manu Kumar Jain, CEO of G42 India with AIM editor Amit Raja Naik)On the space front, Vinod Kumar, Director at the IN-SPACe, mentioned that since the establishment of IN-SPACe, the agency has operationalised policies that include significant investment reforms, allowing for up to 100% direct investment in the space sector. “While some areas, such as satellite manufacturing, retain specific caps for strategic reasons, the overall shift toward commercial engagement is evident,” Kumar points out.
In the coming year, IN-SPACe is targeting various disruptive technologies. Traditionally, space missions relied on detailed guidance systems, but now there is a push towards integrating AI for enhanced autonomous operations.
(Vinod Kumar, Director at the IN-SPACe)One of the day’s biggest announcements came from Nikhil Malhotra, Chief Innovation Officer at Tech Mahindra. He unveiled the upcoming launch of Project Indus 2, set to be released in collaboration with NVIDIA.
“NVIDIA is a great partner, and you should all look forward to next month when we plan to launch Project Indus 2. We’re going to make it state-of-the-art in terms of Hindi and its various dialects, using a modern, open-source approach. I developed this model to raise awareness and show the world that India has the capability to achieve this,” said Malhotra.
(Nikhil Malhotra, Chief Innovation Officer at Tech Mahindra)“Traditional ML isn’t dead. It’s expanding into many more specific use cases, requiring greater precision. While those are still evolving, GenAI has been growing at a much faster pace,” said Sumeet Tandure, Head of Sales Engineering (India, Commercial & South) at Snowflake.
While speaking at Cypher 2024, India’s biggest AI conference by AIM Media House, Tandure clarified how generative AI has quickly overtaken traditional machine learning (ML) as the dominant force in AI. “Generative AI has become the default meaning of AI today,” he said. “Tools like ChatGPT have captured both the consumer and enterprise market’s attention, but the shift goes deeper than just hype.”
(Sumeet Tandure, Head of Sales Engineering (India, Commercial & South) at Snowflake)As the day came to a close, the Minsky Awards took center stage, honoring AI pioneers with jaw-dropping innovations. The red carpet was rolled out, and Bhaichung Bhutia himself presented the prestigious awards, celebrating the AI rock stars who are shaping the future.
Cypher 2024, day two, was a blend of inspiration, innovation, and a glimpse into the AI-powered world of tomorrow.
