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Wipro, IISc Partner for AI Education Program

As part of this collaboration, selected Wipro employees will have full access to IISc faculty members, online lectures, libraries and alumni networks….reports Asian Lite news

Amid the government’s call to bridge the skill gap in emerging technologies, IT major Wipro on Thursday announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to offer eligible employees a higher education programme in artificial intelligence (AI).

The online Master’s in Technology (MTech) course will emphasise upon key areas such as AI, foundations of ML/AI, data science and business analytics, addressing the growing demand for skilled professionals in these domains, the company said in a statement.

“GenAI is evolving at a rapid pace, and we are confident that selected employees will gain immensely from the knowledge at IISc and develop capabilities for the opportunities ahead delivering strong business outcomes,” said Sanjeev Jain, SVP and Global Head, Business Operations, Wipro.

As part of this collaboration, selected Wipro employees will have full access to IISc faculty members, online lectures, libraries and alumni networks.

They will also benefit from mentorship by seasoned professionals from the data, analytics and AI practice at Wipro.

The acceptance of the programme will be subject to rigorous entrance tests and evaluations designed by IISc, said the company.

“The programme curriculum for working professionals has been designed with the same high standards as our full-time programmes, with our faculty members delivering content online to train students on foundational concepts and real-world applications,” said Professor Rajesh Sundaresan, Dean, Division of EECS, IISc.

Considering that more than 60 countries, including India, are entering election mode this year, it is vital that we remain vigilant on recent trends in the dynamic digital landscape, especially deepfakes, says Ivana Bartoletti, Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro.

With the widespread use of generative AI, we face a new and concerning threat: deepfakes.

“Deepfakes have become accessible to everyone, posing a significant risk as these manipulations allow the creation and dissemination of realistic audio and video content featuring individuals saying and doing things they never actually said or did,” emphasised Bartoletti, also the founder of the ‘Women Leading in AI Network’.

The consequences extend beyond the digital realm, as online disinformation and coordination can spill over into real-world violence.

In India, the government has issued an update to its AI advisory, saying that the big digital companies do not need the government’s permission anymore before launching any AI model in the country.

However, big tech companies are advised to label “under-tested and unreliable AI models to inform users of their potential fallibility or unreliability.”

“Under-tested/unreliable Artificial Intelligence foundational models)/ LLM/Generative Al, software(s) or algorithm(s) or further development on such models should be made available to users in India only after appropriately labelling the possible inherent fallibility or unreliability of the output generated,” according to the new MeitY advisory.

All intermediaries or platforms must ensure that the use of AI models /LLM/Generative AI, software or algorithms “does not permit its users to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any unlawful content as outlined in Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Rules or violate any other provision of the IT Act.”

The digital platforms have been asked to comply with new AI guidelines with immediate effect.

According to Bartoletti, to ensure public safety, companies must take responsibility and implement measures to combat deepfakes and disinformation.

“This includes investing in advanced detection technologies to identify and flag deepfake content, as well as collaborating with experts to develop effective debunking methods,” she noted.

Additionally, promoting media literacy and critical thinking among the public is crucial.

“By taking proactive steps to address the risks of deepfakes, we can protect the integrity of elections and uphold the democratic process,” said Bartoletti.

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Education India News

IISc ranked world’s best research varsity

Among new entrants, University of Madras debuted in the 541-550 band, while Chandigarh University debuted in the 801-1,000 bracket as the youngest varsity, having been established less than 10 years ago…reports Asian Lite News

Regaining the pole position among public and private institutions from the country, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore was ranked at 155th place in the latest QS World University Rankings.

The premier institute also continued to prove its mettle in quality research, as it emerged as the global leader in the citations per faculty (CpF) indicator in the latest rankings. According to the indicator, when universities are adjusted for faculty size, IISc is the world’s best research university. It achieved a perfect score of 100/100 on this metric.

Further, as the fastest rising South Asian university on the QS rankings’ top 200 list, IISc gained 31 places year-on-year (YoY), up from 186th position last year.

The nineteenth edition of the international university rankings by global higher education analysts QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) featured 41 Indian universities, of which 12 improved their rankings, 12 remained stable, 10 saw a decline and seven were new entrants.

This year’s QS World University Rankings is the largest ever, with 1,418 institutions across 100 locations, up from 1,300 last year. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) finished a record-extending 11th consecutive year as world number one. The University of Cambridge rose to second place, while Stanford University remained in the third position.

Following IISc were some of the leading Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), all of whom improved their standing, while IIT Indore debuted at 396th rank (see box).

Among declared public institutions of eminence, while IISc, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur attained a higher rank, University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad saw a decline while Banaras Hindu University’s rank remained unchanged. On the other hand, two of the declared private institutions of eminence maintained the same rank — Manipal Academy of Higher Education and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) — while O. P. Jindal Global University (JGU) rose to the next band of 651-700.

JGU is not only India’s top ranked university with a focus solely on social sciences, arts and humanities but also the only Indian non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and non-medicine university to find a place in the QS World University Rankings 2023.

Among new entrants, University of Madras debuted in the 541-550 band, while Chandigarh University debuted in the 801-1,000 bracket as the youngest varsity, having been established less than 10 years ago.

IIT Guwahati (37th for CpF), IIT Roorkee (47th for CpF) and the University of Madras (48th for CpF) are also among the global top 50 research institutions.

In terms of other indicators, the University of Calcutta (801-1,000) recorded the highest percentage of female students (63 per cent), followed by the University of Mumbai (1,001-1,200) with 57 per cent. Amity University (1,001-1,200), on the other hand, employed the highest percentage of female faculty (58 per cent), followed by the University of Mumbai (56 per cent).

However, India continues to struggle in indicators such as institutional teaching capacity and QS’ internationalisation metrics. Thirty of India’s 41 ranked universities have suffered decline in its Faculty/Student Ratio (FSR) indicator, with only four recording improvements. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (1,001-1,200) is the best-performing local institution for the proportion of international faculty, ranking 411th globally, while Amity University (1,001-1,200) is the national leader for the proportion of international students as it ranked 542nd globally.

According to QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter, while the latest edition of the rankings reflects the excellent work that several Indian varsities are doing to improve their research footprint, the dataset also suggests that the Indian higher education sector still struggles to provide adequate teaching capacity.

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