IIT-Hyderabad Becomes World’s 3rd Institute To Offer B.Tech In Artificial Intelligence

Considering how I haven’t dealt with or studied about A.I., my limited knowledge about it comes from movies and TV shows, and the theories around it. And all I know about A.I., from stories like ‘Terminator’, ‘Ex Machina’, ‘Age of Ultron’, ‘Black Mirror’ etc., is that they’re going to eventually take over humanity.

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However, it’s just not me who’s saying so. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has debated over the issue, with Musk calling it an “existential risk for human civilisation”. Nevertheless, we’re going ahead with it and IIT-Hyderabad is dedicating a whole B.Tech programme for teaching A.I.

According to Indian Express, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad will launch a B.Tech programme in Artificial Intelligence for the 2019-2020 academic year.

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The course will initially admit around 20 students based on their JEE-Advanced score. It’ll cover the study of algorithms from the computer science dept., signal processing from the electrical engineering dept., robotics from the mechanical engineering dept and mathematical foundations. Additionally, the course will also delve into healthcare, agriculture, smart mobility etc. with the help of A.I.

IIT-Hyderabad claims that with the inclusion of programme, it has become the first Indian educational institution and the third institute globally (after US-based Carnegie Mellon Uni. and MIT) to provide a B.Tech degree in A.I. U.B. Desai, director of the institution said that,

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“The basic aim is to create a complete ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence Academics and Research at IIT Hyderabad. This involves B.Tech, M Tech and different minor programs in AI. Moreover, the R&D will be strongly entwined with academics.”

The ethical impact of A.I. and its branching technologies on areas such as privacy, bias and related issues, will also be studied in detail in the B.Tech programme.

Those who’ve completed their B.Tech, can take up IIT-Hyderabad’s M.Tech programme in A.I. – Machine Learning and M.Tech in Data Science. And those who are pursuing other degrees such as B.Tech in chemical engg. or mechanical engg. can pursue a minor in A.I. Furthermore, the institution’s Liberal Arts dept., in collaboration with the Computer Science and Electrical Engg. faculty, has also launched a minor in ‘A.I. and Humanity’.

Now, if you want to study B.Tech and bring A.I. into our daily lives, good for you. But if you see a glitch (even a teeny-weeny one), just pull the plug. I don’t want to die in the hands of a robot.

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