Summary
This user-oriented course is aimed at upskilling employees and using AI to address industrial problems
The first cohort of students for this 18-month MTech course will be from TCS
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has announced an 18-month MTech programme in Industrial Artificial Intelligence (AI) in collaboration with the Tata Consultancy Services (TSC) to upskill working professionals and encourage the use of AI in addressing industrial problems.
The course will be offered in an online mode through virtual classrooms. The first cohort of students for the programme will be from TCS.
Highlighting the strengths of the programme, V Kamakoti, the director of IIT Madras, said, “This programme, designed in consultation with TCS, will have strong theoretical courses and labs covering important topics in data science and AI. Theoretical courses will cover concepts in fundamental mathematical techniques required for understanding data science algorithms, time series analysis, multivariate data analysis, machine learning, deep learning and reinforcement learning.”
“Applied courses will describe implementation of AI solutions for industrial problems in a case study format. Put together, these courses are expected to provide a strong theoretical foundation and significant application perspective to the participants,” he added.
Describing the unique aspects of this programme, course coordinator and dean of global engagement at IIT Madras, Raghunathan Rengasamy, said, “AI is going to impact every aspect of human experience in the years to come. This course will provide a unique perspective on the impact of AI in industrial systems. Leveraging AI techniques in industries can lead to processes that are robust, inherently safer and ultimately lead to environmentally benign processes. These are some of the key aspects that will be deliberated in this course.”
Speaking about this new course, Prathap Haridoss, the dean of academic courses at IIT Madras, said, “There is a strong need for well-trained human resources in the area of AI. This programme aims to meet this need in a manner that directly addresses Industry requirements.”
The key outcomes and benefits of this programme are as follows:
· Upskilling of Indian workforce in this important area
· Improving the knowledge ecosystem that is critical for AI adoption
· Translation of AI theory to practice
· Industrial solutions that are sustainable
· Development of AI theory and pedagogical methods for AI training with focus on application
Speaking about this collaboration, K Ananth Krishnan, the executive vice-president and chief technology officer of TCS, said, “TCS Research partners with premier academic institutes to explore emerging technologies with scientific rigour as they gain mainstream adoption. We are happy to collaborate with IIT Madras, a member of the TCS Academic Co-Innovation Network, to create a new MTech programme in Industrial AI for working professionals so that they gain a deeper understanding of data science and AI which they can apply to drive innovation in the industry.”
According to a communique from IIT Madras, one mid-term and a final examination will be conducted in online mode for each subject. The students will also have to submit project work. There will be a total of 28-30 hours of online classes per week. The post-classroom activities, such as assignments, reading and preparation are likely to take up 20-22 hours per week.
Last updated on 23 Mar 2022
