– Professor B Ravindran

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting all aspects of our lives. With the recent advancements in generative AI technology, both the benefits and harms of AI have multiplied. In the near future, no discipline will be able to avoid the use of AI at work — just like computers and automation are helping us work more efficiently on most tasks that required manual effort a few decades ago, AI tools will help us do most jobs more efficiently. 

For example, anyone with a clever thought (or knot) will be able to write an engaging story in a language of their choice and possibly in a style of their choice without having any literary training. 

Likewise, a person with no artistic talent can create a hyper-realistic rendering of an individual and use it for whatever purpose. Given this broadening impact of AI, it is imperative that we involve multiple expertise in the study of AI – AI and, broadly, data science are becoming inherently multi-disciplinary fields.

Over the years, the broad area of computer science has expanded in many different directions. For example, at IIT Madras, the research areas at the computer science and engineering (CSE) department span vast domains like computer systems (including VLSI), theoretical computer science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

The explosive rise of research and job opportunities in AI and Data Science in the last decade has made it evident that there should be a dedicated school for this field with its own vision and multi-disciplinary team.

With generous backing from our alumnus, Sunil Wadhwani, IIT Madras has started the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI to support the DSAI activities. IIT Madras has been a leader in Data Science and AI education and research in India for several years now. 

With this new school, we aim to be among the most influential universities in the world.  The Wadhwani School of DS and AI is also home to well-funded centres such as the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI), AI4Bhārat, the Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), and the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI). 

These centres are at the forefront of AI research in India and are world-renowned for their expertise. The school has faculty with diverse backgrounds coming from nine different traditional departments.

The DSAI School at IIT Madras will stand out as the best place to build a strong foundation in the field of Artificial Intelligence. It is currently poised to offer the following programmes:

– BTech in AI and Data Analytics (AIDA)

– MTech in Data Science and AI (DSAI)

– Joint MSc in DS & AI with the University of Birmingham

– International Interdisciplinary Master’s degree programmes (I2MP) in Data Science

– Interdisciplinary Dual Degree in Data Science

– MS and PhD

– Web-enabled MTech in Industrial AI, for working professionals

In particular, the undergraduate programme is the first-of-its-kind aimed at training students to approach AI and Data Analytics from an interdisciplinary viewpoint. Many courses will be included even in the undergraduate curriculum, covering every aspect of the field. 

These courses provide strong mathematical and foundational training, focusing on important areas emphasising machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning, alongside their applications in various domains. The curriculum is highly flexible —as all undergraduate curricula at IIT Madras are—supported by a large basket of electives and various options for minor programmes. 

The curriculum will feature strong interdisciplinary elements, integrating several application courses, including data science for physics, chemistry and biology. Additionally, multiple elective courses will be included to address key and emerging AI and Data Analytics techniques and applications.

The students will be admitted through the JEE Advanced exam to this undergraduate program in AI and Data Analytics. The graduates of this programme will be well-trained to pursue either an academic research career or industry roles. In particular, we will expose the students to multiple entrepreneurial opportunities and will expect them to add to the intellectual capital of the nation.

The MTech programme is again designed to cater to students with different academic backgrounds. The students will be admitted through the GATE (Data Science and AI, DA) paper and a short personal interview. We expect the graduates of this program will be highly valued in different industries for various data science and AI roles as well as becoming entrepreneurs in their own right.

(A Lesson from IIT is a weekly column by an IIT faculty member on learning, science and technology on campus and beyond. The column appears every Friday)