LUCKNOW: Introducing the concept of a 'Cognitive Gym', saying it was the need of the hour in order to combat mental lethargy which may arise from the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prof Manindra Agarwal, director IIT-Kanpur, said it was imperative to have mental exercises and mental labour to maintain the original thinking and retain creativity in the present age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) where everything was available at the click of a mouse.
Prof Agarwal, while delivering the inaugural address at one-day event, 'AdhyAI: AI Summit' at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Wednesday, stated that just as physical gyms were necessary for physical fitness, it was time to have its mental counterpart to face the challenges of the AI age.
He said that the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been gradual. “Today, the 'Centres of Excellence,' being established across the country, are giving this technology a new direction. Just as a gym is necessary for physical fitness, in the era of AI, we will need a 'Cognitive Gym' to preserve our mental capacity and the power of thinking and creativity,” said Prof Agarwal who was the chief guest at the summit.
The one-day event was organised jointly by Think India, Meta, Department of IT and Electronics (UP), and IIT BHU.
Over 350 delegates from prestigious institutions across the country participated in the event. The deliberations at the meet mainly focused on the emerging dimensions of Artificial Intelligence and its role in nation-building.
UP minister IT & Electronics, Sunil Kumar Sharma, joined the meet virtually and reiterated the state government’s commitment to use AI to bridge the 'Digital Divide' and solve rural problems to achieve a truly inclusive 'Viksit Bharat'. While Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, BHU V-C, advocated for a 'Conscious approach towards AI', cautioning the students to use the technology with a sense of social responsibility to avoid becoming 'mindless' consumers, Prof Amit Patra, Director of IIT BHU, noted that India was destined to lead in AI sector.
Omkar Rai (former DG, STPI), highlighted India's transition into a 'Global AI Hub' driven by a treasure of data and talent. Prof Sanjay Srivastava (V-C, MG Central University) and Prof AK Tyagi (V-C, MG Kashi Vidyapith) both stressed on the importance of maintaining human sensibilities and developing AI in Indian languages to ensure grassroots accessibility.
Presenting the youth perspective, Abhay Pratap Singh (National Secretary, ABVP) urged young innovators to synchronize their technical skills with a 'Nation First' mindset.