IIT Delhi Establishes Chair in AI After Distinguished Alumnus And Global Innovation Index Pioneer Soumitra Dutta

An memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed with Soumitra Dutta and Lourdes Casanova by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) for constituting the “The Soumitra Dutta Chair in Artificial Intelligence”, Indian Express has reported. Dutta and Casanova have pledged Rs 1 crore each to the institute.

Soumitra Dutta, after whom the chair has been named is a distinguished alumnus of IIT-Delhi and a PhD holder in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is renowned for being the architect of the Global Innovation Index. Dutta is also regarded as an authority on the impact of new technology on the business world with a particular focus on strategies for driving growth and innovation in the digital economy.

He expressed happiness to contribute to the future academic excellence of the institute and thanked the IIT-D for its contribution towards his education.

A renowned academician working at Cornell University, Lourdes Casanova said, “The chair recognises the important role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of India and supports the aspirations of IIT Delhi for leadership in this important domain.”

The chair is expected to foster merit and calibre in teaching, research and development in Artificial Intelligence(AI). It will also encourage interactions between IIT-D and the industry.