Vellore, Aug 22: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday called on India’s youth to move beyond consuming artificial intelligence and focus on developing homegrown AI technologies, saying graduates could play a key role in making the country a global technology creator.
Addressing the 41st convocation of VIT University in Vellore as chief guest, Gupta said India must transition from being an AI user to an AI creator and contribute to solving challenges facing society through technology and innovation.
“Don’t just be users of artificial intelligence — build India’s own AI,” she told the graduating students, highlighting investments being made under the Centre’s India AI Mission in areas including semiconductors, computing infrastructure, defence, space, drones, robotics and biotechnology.
Gupta said governments and educational institutions could work together to address pressing public challenges. Referring to Delhi’s experience, she said collaboration with IIT institutions had helped find solutions to issues such as pollution, traffic congestion and waste management.
She urged the graduates to take up similar responsibilities after entering the workforce and contribute to solving problems in their cities while developing technologies for the country.
Emphasising the importance of resilience, Gupta advised students not to fear failure but to understand its causes and work towards overcoming challenges. She said intellectual capital was among India’s most valuable resources and called for greater emphasis on “Make in India”, “Invest in India”, “Design in India” and “Brand in India”.
VIT Chancellor G. Viswanathan, in his address, highlighted the need to expand access to higher education and medical education in India. He said the country’s Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education stood at around 30 per cent, while the National Education Policy aims to raise it to 50 per cent.
Viswanathan also pointed to the gap between the number of students seeking medical education and available seats, saying greater investment in medical colleges was necessary to address the shortage of doctors in several states.
He urged the Union Education Minister to help resolve differences between governors and state governments over vice-chancellor appointments, saying vacancies in universities could adversely affect students and the education sector.
Babu Unnikrishnan, Vice President and CTO of TCS, also addressed the convocation.
A total of 11,276 undergraduate and postgraduate students received degree certificates during the ceremony, including 7,359 undergraduate and 3,917 postgraduate students. The graduating batch included 6,046 B.Tech, 1,732 M.Tech and 781 Ph.D. students, among others. Academic distinction certificates were awarded to 248 students, while 84 received gold medals.
The convocation also had a personal significance for Gupta, as her son Nikunj Gupta was among the graduating students.
Earlier, Gupta inaugurated a Centre for Advanced Research for Bacteriophage and Infectious Diseases at VIT.
The ceremony was attended by VIT office-bearers, faculty members, parents and students.
