Do you think students from tier 2 and 3 lack in skills as compared to tier 1?
In spite of hailing from Bangalore, I believe that the quality of education provided there is very high. Colleges like XLRI Jamshedpur and NIT Jamshedpur are among the most renowned colleges in India. NIT organizes National level Robocon events and XLRI organizes the National Conference on Social Entrepreneur to promote and encourage skill development. However, when we take tier 3 cities into account, we can say that they are deprived of quality education and invariably of proper skill development training programs. As a matter of fact, when we compare tier 1 and tier 2 cities, there is not much of a difference. Comparatively, the rate of progress is slower in tier 2 cities, but the quality remains mostly the same.
How do you plan to spread AI into remote areas across the nation?
Artificial Intelligence has made a tremendous contribution in solving industrial and practical problems. It has completely revolutionized modern day industry and acts as a foundation pillar for the Industry 4.0. There are two ways in which the wonders of AI can be spread to remote areas across the nation:
- Government schemes and policies- With Governmental intervention and support through schemes and policies, not only Artificial Intelligence, but even other initiatives like Make In India and Digital India can be spread to remote areas of the country.
- Private Schemes- Private companies like Verzeo must take the initiative to promote modern industry based skill training programmes throughout the nation, especially in the rural areas included. No part of the country must be deprived of technological knowledge.
How do you think AI will change the visage of education in the coming years?
Let us face the hard facts, the current educational system is not as flexible as it should have been. The standard of education is pretty static everywhere and no new changes are being introduced to make matters any dynamic or diverse. According to Forbes, adding AI to the educational system will bring change in the previously static ways. AI can help analyze the each student’s progress quickly and effectively. It can help point out their strength and weaknesses and tailor the educational program according to individual’s needs. By following this approach, students can make the most out of their education and focus on those things in which they are essential. AI can even deal with data analysis and identify the loopholes and gaps in the courses offered. If students are struggling with particular assignments and courses, AI can spot the problem and take steps to change it. For example it can suggest additional guidance for students with respect to particular courses or topics.
It can help out with various routines such as grading, feedback and handling documentation. In this way teachers are saved both time and effort of dealing with routine tasks, and concentrate more on aspects that AI cannot handle.
Though AI is great with analysis and completion of routine tasks, they cannot completely replace human effort. Schools do not only impart education, but even teach life skills and behavioral skills. Schools and colleges teach students the importance of teamwork, working under pressure and how to socialize. This is why teachers will always be important to the educational setting. Opinions on this topic are always controversial.
With the expansion of AI into every sphere, what kind of jobs do you think it will create?
It is quite a famous theory that” rise of the robots” will end almost half of the industry’s workforce around the world. Experts say that if automation is not planned well and addressed holistically it will lead to a disaster, affecting almost 60% to70% of the current jobs, which will either get marginalised or eliminated once and for all. According to a World Bank research, automation is affecting 69% of the job market in India and 77% in China.
The fear that AI will replace countless jobs is justified, however, not completely true. AI also helps in creating more jobs. Technology leaders are drumming up the thought that the emergence of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and automation are going to be the new drivers of employment. The era of automation and digitization are invariably create more jobs in the IT sector.
According to the report “How Automation is Changing Work Choices”, the new job roles that will dominate the IT is Big Data, Internet Of Things, Cloud Computing, Cyber security etc. This is the best time for IT professionals to pivot career, so that they can place themselves where the growth is.
How does Verzeo match AI to the demands of a particular sector?
Verzeo has the following three objectives related to Artificial Intelligence-
- Implementing Artificial Intelligence in remote areas.
- High outreach in terms of diversity of their student community
- Enabling and facilitating Artificial Intelligence in the academic space.
Modern day industry requires workers to be skilled and at par with new trends, so that they can cope up with the demands. Verzeo equips students with the skills that are required in the modern day job market, irrespective of which sector of the industry it is. We update syllabus regularly so that students are abreast with the latest trends present in the industry.
What kind of workshops do you think are important?
Apart from skills training and development workshops, workshops that focus on aptitude development will benefit students in the long term. Qualities of confidence, leadership, team spirit are taught and enhanced in these workshops. These life skills are equally essential to work in the industry, and students will be able to add value to the organization in which they will be employed in the future.
