Chandigarh (Naval Kishore): The Governor of Punjab and Administrator, U.T. Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria today called upon Vice-Chancellors of universities to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for transforming higher education, research and innovation, while ensuring that technology remains human-centric, ethical, inclusive and socially responsible.
Addressing the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference on “Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education” at Punjab Lok Bhavan, Shri Kataria said the AI revolution was changing the way people learn, work, conduct research and take decisions. He described AI as a transformative force that could significantly influence India’s economy and society in the coming decades. Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor of Punjab, Shri Vivek Pratap Singh; Lalit Jain, IAS; and Director Higher Education, U.T. Chandigarh, Ms. Palika Arora, were also present during the conference.
The conference commenced with an introduction to the theme by Prof. Jaspal Singh Sandhu, prominent educationist and former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar to the Hon’ble Governor, Punjab, followed by a presentation on “MY Bharat – Mera Yuva Bharat” by Sh. Sorabh Kumar Arora, PCS, Director, Sports, Chandigarh Administration.
The Governor said universities must look beyond AI as merely a subject of engineering and computer science and promote multidisciplinary AI education across medicine, agriculture, law, finance, languages, social sciences and other fields. He urged institutions to develop AI-based solutions for agriculture, healthcare, water conservation, governance and environmental challenges.
The technical session on “Future of Technical Education with the Advent of AI” was addressed by Prof. K. K. Aggarwal, President, South Asian University, New Delhi, former Chairman, National Board of Accreditation and Founding Vice-Chancellor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, and his team from IIT Ropar presented on “Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Technologies and Applications in Higher Education.” Sessions on best practices featured presentations by Dr. Suresh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Firozpur; Dr. Pushpinder Singh Gill, Vice-Chancellor, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University, Patiala; and Dr. Vinay Goyal, Vice-Chancellor, CGC University.
The conference also featured a special address by Dr. Harpal Thethi, Professor and Additional Director, Division of Career Services, Lovely Professional University, on strengthening university-industry partnerships and building industry-ready graduates.
Governor Kataria stressed the importance of AI laboratories, bridge courses, certification programmes, reskilling and practical learning. He also highlighted the National Education Policy-2020, IndiaAI Mission, BharatGen, Anusandhan National Research Foundation and One Nation One Subscription as important initiatives for strengthening India’s research and technological capabilities.
Emphasising responsible AI, the Governor highlighted concerns relating to data privacy, cybersecurity, deepfakes, misinformation, transparency and accountability. He said students must learn not only what AI can do, but also what AI should and should not do.
Calling upon universities to become centres of knowledge, innovation and nation-building, Shri Kataria said their contribution would be crucial in preparing India’s youth for the future and achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
