Facebook has announced a host of initiatives in India focused on delivering social and inclusive growth by harnessing the power of emerging technologies led by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, says that the effort “is to understand how we can contribute to the development of deep tech in India, as well as corral resources to use these technologies to develop impactful solutions for tough and persistent problems”.
“At Facebook, we are developing and leveraging cutting-edge technologies for products we develop around the world. We are an ally for India’s economic growth and social development,” said Mohan
Facebook which had developed the Blood Donation tool which helps connect blood banks and hospitals to blood donors, currently has more than 35 million people signed up to be donors globally.The company also said that during the Kerala Floods its partnership with SEEDS India, using AI, helped to quickly prepare disaster maps for the state.
“At Facebook we are also committed to growing the local AI ecosystem, which can be achieved by providing support to start-ups, to the student community, and by ensuring diversity within the ecosystem itself. That’s the thought behind our key announcements today around AI for India Accelerator, training and scholarships for students and developers, and ‘Women in AI’ hackathons,” added Mohan.
As part of the initiatives, Facebook has introduced the India Innovation Accelerator program focused on utilising ‘AI for Social Good’. Under this program, Facebook will extend mentorship and support to promising startups that are leveraging AI to address gaps within the high social impact areas of women safety, agriculture, education, healthcare, climate change, and resilient cities, among many others.
The company also announced 100 scholarships for students and developers focused on nurturing their ideas for utilizing AI for social good. The scholarships will enable the students to gain access to advanced courses on Deep Learning.
As part of encouraging diversity in the ecosystem, Facebook has announced AI Hackathons that are aimed at encouraging women developers and women-led start-ups focused on AI. The winners will be provided courses on AI and ML by professors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. In India, the company will also conduct AI training under its Facebook Hubs program, where it will impart “extensive, application-based” AI training with a host of startups across 20 locations in India.