Chennai (The Hawk): Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched a BTech in AI and Data Analytics (COURSE CODE - 412L: Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics) and will admit students from the upcoming Academic Year of 2024-25. This undergraduate degree offered by the NIRF #1-ranked Institute in the country has been carefully crafted to equip students with key skills and knowledge.
Admission to this program is through the JEE (Advanced) exam. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) counselling for the 2024 batch is currently ongoing.
The Program aims to cultivate expertise in diverse aspects of AI and data analytics, offering a panoramic view of its applications across industries. It will have a student strength of 50 admitted through JEE. There will be a strong emphasis on Math Fundamentals, Data Science /AI/ML Foundations, Application Development and Responsible Design besides a distinct interdisciplinary flavor.
The course is being offered through the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, established with an endowment of Rs. 110 Crore by Mr. Sunil Wadhwani, a distinguished alumnus of IIT Madras and the Co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital. The vision is to be among the top AI-focused schools worldwide and also advise the Government and policymakers on Data Science and AI-related policy areas.
This B.Tech. Program will offer a lot of academic flexibility, allowing students to tailor their learning journey through a wide range of electives from within the department and outside. From delving into the intricacies of Speech and Language Technology and Computer Vision to exploring Applications in Control and Detection and Time-Series Analysis, students can delve deeper into areas of personal passion and interest.
Highlighting this B.Tech. Program, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, and a Computer Science faculty himself, said, “AI is evolving across engineering, science and humanities disciplines. It is extremely important to understand these multi-disciplinary connections to be successful in this field. The B.Tech. in AI and Data Analytics is uniquely positioned to address this aspect. It is first of its kind in the world. The curriculum has evolved based on the experience gained by our faculty over more than a decade. Through this offering, IITM aspires to produce top-notch AI professionals, entrepreneurs and researchers who can take up with great confidence the grand AI challenges in the evolving market”
Key areas of this B.Tech. program includes focusing on application to real-world problems and Fair and Responsible AI. This includes how to apply data analytics and AI techniques to tackle real-world challenges across diverse domains, fostering innovation and impact besides embracing the principles of fairness and responsibility in AI development, and ensuring ethical and equitable deployment of technology.
Highlighting the aspects that make this program unique, Prof. B. Ravindran, Head, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, said, “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. The flagship program is going to be the undergraduate program - The B.Tech. in AI and Data Analytics. We will ensure that the students know enough about the fundamentals of AI so that they can pick up things on their own if they want to get into a research career.”
Prof. B. Ravindran added, “The program that we have developed is designed from the ground up to focus both on the fundamentals of AI and how to build applications and a system-oriented design of AI. Since we are looking at the entire pipeline of AI design, I think it makes this program fairly unique.”
The core curriculum has been designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in AI and data analytics, covering a diverse array of subjects essential for success in this field. From foundational courses in linear algebra and calculus to specialized modules in machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning, students are equipped with a robust toolkit to tackle the varied challenges in this discipline.
Furthermore, practical experience is ingrained in the curriculum through laboratory sessions, workshops, and real-world projects, ensuring students graduate not only with theoretical knowledge but also with hands-on expertise ready for immediate application in the industry.
Elaborating further, Prof. Arun K. Tangirala, Faculty, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, said, “We can divide the curriculum into four parts - First is ‘Foundation in Sciences’ that deals with mathematics, sciences, and statistics, followed by ‘Modelling Techniques’ such as convolutional neural network, deep net and so on, with the third being ‘Training and Deployment of Models’ in which the algorithms will be covered and finally, ‘Domain Applications’ which puts everything together. Our interface with the Industry is very strong. In terms of internships, UG Research, and so on, the student here will have a much brighter chance of getting practical experience.”
The Research Themes of the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI include Healthcare, Responsible AI, Language technology, and responsible development and deployment of AI for social impact.
