Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), a not-for-profit foundation promoted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, launched an innovation lab on Monday with a funding of ₹230 crore. While the union government has provided ₹170 crore, the state government has pumped in ₹60 crore as seed capital for the venture.

The ARTPARK office located at the IISc Campus was inaugurated by CN Ashwatha Narayana, Minister for Information Technology, Bio-Technology as well as Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka.  The minister said that ARTPARK would work on the use of futuristic technologies to connect the unconnected as well as focus on creating a globally leading Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Innovation ecosystem in India.

Ashwatha Narayana added, “Jobs are the need of the hour. ARTPARK has been set up to effectively use technology —specifically AI and robotics — for the country’s betterment. The ARTPARK has the objective of channelising innovations to create a societal impact by executing ambitious mission-mode R&D projects in healthcare, education, mobility, infrastructure, agriculture, retail, and cyber-security aiming to solve problems unique to India.”

Stating that Karnataka will take a leadership role to create a new economic growth model for Atmanirbhar Bharat, the minister added, “This initiative to push the narrative for ‘Connecting the unconnected’ by ARTPARK will help the youth outside urban India not only access the next generation of digital work but also acquire the skills they need to thrive in an AI-driven future.”

Developing rural economy

Speaking at the ‘ARTPARK Innovation Summit 2022’ themed Connecting the Unconnected: Building a smart, sustainable rural economy, Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, who attended the summit virtually, said, “India has the potential to become a world leader by unlocking the full potential of its rural economy. Futuristic technologies like 5G, AI and robotics will help realise this at a much faster pace and create the next big wave of jobs.”

S Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, added, “Digital and physical connectivity innovations are critical to India’s growth and Atmanirbhar vision. ARTPARK facilitates bringing together industry, academia, and government to discuss creating the next model of job growth outside of metros by leveraging cutting-edge technologies.”

The CEO of ARTPARK, Umakant Soni, said an AI-driven experience economy will result in $15.7 trillion of new economic value by 2030 as per PwC Research. “To have India at the forefront of the AI and robotics revolution, we need to explore these technologies to create new jobs in rural India,” he added.

Rangarajan, Director, IISc, and chair of the board, ARTPARK, said, “IISc is at the forefront of research in frontier technologies like 5G and UAVs, and ARTPARK is using that expertise to create a better India for tomorrow.”

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