NITI Aayog urges govt to promote AI in social sector for inclusive growth

Government think tank Niti Aayog has asked central ministries and states to identify key projects where Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be adopted to resolve problems in areas like health, education and agriculture.

According to Niti Aayog's estimates AI has the potential to add $15.7 trillion to the global GDP by 2030, making it the biggest commercial opportunity in today's fast changing economy.

For India, according to the Aayog, an incremental $957 billion could be added to the GDP by 2035 by adopting AI, boosting India's annual growth by 1.3 percentage points by 2035.

"I write to request you to identify key projects where AI can be developed to solve problems affecting the health sector that you wish to drive forward," NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said in a letter to the states and central ministries.

"Niti Aayog has a team that works on the AI programme and I would like to extend all help in providing necessary support, connecting to the concerned stakeholders and any other matter that may be required," Kant stated.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech of 2018-19 had entrusted Niti Aayog with the responsibility to develop the National Programme for AI.

In June 2018, Niti Aayog released the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence which is aimed at positioning India as a trailblazer for emerging economies.

The strategy strives to leverage AI for inclusive economic growth and social development

It identified five sectors for a more focused government involvement to promote the adoption of AI.

The focus sectors are healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure and smartmobility and transportation.