CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched a BTech course in AI and data analytics for the upcoming academic year. 50 undergraduates will be admitted to this program through the JEE (Advanced) exam.
According to a release, the program aims to cultivate expertise in diverse aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics by exposing students to their application across industries.
Students enrolled in the BTech course will have core modules on in linear algebra and calculus to specialized modules in machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning, along with laboratory sessions, workshops, and real-world projects. They can also opt for electives like speech and language technology to exploring applications in control and detection and time-series analysis, the institute said.
The institute envisions it as one of the top AI-focused programs in the world and have its alumni advise governments and policymakers on data science and AI-related policy areas.
Elaborating on the curriculum, Prof Arun K Tangirala, Faculty, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, said, “First is ‘Foundation in Sciences’ that deals with mathematics, sciences, and statistics, followed by ‘Modelling Techniques’ such as convolutional neural network and deep net, with the third being ‘Training and Deployment of Models’ in which algorithms will be covered and finally, ‘Domain Applications’ which puts everything together."
The flagship program would focus both on the fundamentals of AI and how to build applications as well as a system-oriented design of AI, said Prof B Ravindran, Head, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras. “AI is at a point where computer science was 30 years back. Artificial intelligence is going to be a very transformative technology and will be the defining technological development of this generation, and perhaps another generation to come," he stated.
The BTech course is being offered through the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, established with an endowment of Rs 110 crore by IIT-M alumnus Sunil Wadhwani, who is the co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital.