AI Days 2024: Unveiling People-Centric Solutions for India

People-centric AI is a key solution to tackle multiple challenges faced in a country like India. From socioeconomic issues to technological advancements, the potential of People-centric AI to address these challenges is immense, concluded the panelists at the 'AI Days 2024' conference which was convened at JNTU-Hyderabad campus on March 30 and 31.   

During the conference, speakers underscored the importance of collaborative efforts between governments and communities to enhance the capabilities of People-centric AI. They called for collective action to leverage AI to its full potential and drive progress across various sectors in India. 

Hosted by Telangana-based NGO Swecha in collaboration with multiple partners, the event saw the participation of over 2,000 IT professionals, researchers, startups, and students. With more than 70 speakers from around the world, the conference provided a platform for insightful discussions and knowledge exchange. 

Speaking at the event, Chaitanya, co-founder and CTO at Ozonetel, discussed the narrative around AI, and its evolution.   

Innovating Data Democratization

"The challenge lies in democratizing data collection and developing algorithms that are less reliant on GPU infrastructure. What if communities could actively participate in data collection? What if there are algorithms that don't need extensive GPU resources? Can AI models run on everyday devices like mobile phones?" he asked.  

Furthermore, he stressed the need for better data protection mechanisms and licensing frameworks." With data being vulnerable to exploitation, it's imperative to safeguard privacy and ownership rights. That’s the purpose of this conference. We aim to collectively address these issues related to data collection and algorithm development."  

Chaitanya highlighted Swecha's innovative approach to data collection by hosting a conference where voice data was the entry requirement, resulting in the collection of 1.5 million datasets in an innovative and participatory manner.   

"We collected 1.5 million datasets in a fun, participatory manner. We created an open-source Telugu speech model that we will be launching in a few days. The best part is that it can seamlessly work on mobile. You don’t need an internet connection; it’s a 200 MB model that you can download," he added.   

The eminent speakers at the Conference included Padma Bhushan Dr VS Ramachandran, listed in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world; Prof Gaurav Raina, Former Chairman, Mobile Payments Forum of India; Dr Ashish Tendulkar, AI/ML Leader at Google; Chaitanya, Founder CTO, Ozonetel; Nag Malladi, VP, Tech Mahindra; Y Kiran Chandra, Founder, Swecha; Nagi V, Sr Advisor, Salamander; Sunil Abraham, Director, Facebook India; Sai S, Founder CEO, Tech Vedika; Shobhu Yarlagadda, Founder, Arka Mediaworks and Producer of Baahubali series; among others.