Visakhapatnam: IT minister Nara Lokesh announced that the state govt is working to establish an AI university in Visakhapatnam. He said that the vision behind the AI university is very similar to how Indian School of Business was set up in Hyderabad. “Our plan with this AI university is to bridge the gap between academia and industry, and to create meaningful partnerships and internships for students,” Lokesh said.
The minister inaugurated the two-day AP Digital Technology Summit, organised by the Andhra Pradesh Digital Technology Industry Leadership Forum, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Speaking on this occasion, Lokesh outlined a vision for Andhra Pradesh to emerge as a global powerhouse in digital technology by embracing innovation, advancing deep-tech capabilities, and promoting convergence across various industries.
“Investing in innovation and developing skilled talent are fundamental to achieving our commitment to economic growth, technological advancement, and social transformation. Andhra Pradesh aims to position itself as a $2 trillion economy by 2047, under the Swarna Andhra 2047 vision plan. The previous Vision 2020 was crafted by chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu back in the 1990s in the erstwhile combined Andhra Pradesh. It is truly remarkable to see how Vision 2020 turned out to be a reality, and I was fortunate to be at the launch of Vision 2047. I am confident that, under Naidu’s leadership, we will deliver on Vision 2047 too,” he said.
“In order to realise that vision, it is not just going to be about innovation. It is also about how we create future-ready job creators and job seekers. Andhra Pradesh is actively working to align its educational curriculum with industry demands. I look forward to industry titans guiding the curriculum across all sectors and collaborating with us to elevate Andhra Pradesh, currently ranked 9th in NIRF rankings, to third place and ensuring that two of our govt universities are among the top 100 in the world.”
“Things are challenging, but our leader (Chandrababu Naidu) always says that a crisis is an opportunity. And this is our opportunity to shine. We are like an entrepreneur or a startup as a state. I urge all industry leaders to establish innovation hubs, adopt cutting-edge technologies, and mentor startups. Together, we can build an Andhra Pradesh that leads the way in innovation, deep technology, skills, and convergence,” added Lokesh.
Vizag MP M Sribharat, co-founder of AIonOS and former CEO of Tech Mahindra CP Gurnani, convener of the AP Digital Technology Industry Leadership Forum Sreedhar Kosaraju, and others were present in the meeting.
