BHUBANESWAR: Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Saturday asserted that technology can never replace the depth of human experience even as it has been expanding and reshaping human relationships.
Inaugurating the 3rd edition of SOA Literary Festival here on Saturday he said artificial intelligence (AI) has been transforming communication, creativity and human relationship, but the future influenced by AI will still depend on empathy, ethical judgment and ability to imagine what lies ahead.
“Long before the modern system of education emerged, our stories, poems and ethics taught society truth, justice, courage and compassion. A society that reads thinks, a society that thinks becomes one that progresses,” he said and described literature as the companion in moral development.
Kambhampati said literature acts as a mirror to the society, challenges injustice, shows social inequalities and is a transformative course that shapes character, inculcates sympathy and expands the world view.
The Governor presented the first SOA Sahitya Samman to poet, scriptwriter and thinker Javed Akhtar. The award comprises a citation, a shawl, a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati and cash prize of `7 lakh.
In response to his felicitation, Akhtar described language, culture, mythology, poetry and art as great resources. He said when India gained independence, the country could not even manufacture a needle, but now it had become one of the most industrialised nations of the world.
On the increasing influence of AI in all spheres of life, he said, it depends on how one uses it. Citing the example of nuclear energy, he said it could be used both for bad and good purposes. “The resources in it are not bad. If you delve into history, people were afraid of all discoveries, even the steam engine was described as the vehicle of the devil,” he said.
Organised by the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN), the two-day lit fest themed ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence’ focuses on the impact of technical innovation on human creativity and literature.
SOA vice-chancellor Pradipta Kumar Nanda presided over the function. Former secretary of Sahitya Akademi K Sreenivasarao, vice-president of SOA Saswati Das and head of PPRACHIN Gayatribala Panda also spoke.