We Should Strive To Shape The Narrative on AI: Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi

What measures are you taking to maintain your position in national rankings every year?
We do not do anything specifically to maintain our ranking positions. Our focus lies on the fundamentals of providing an excellent experience for our students. We strive for excellence in education, aiming for a well-rounded and holistic learning experience. We constantly assess the relevance of our curriculum and offer opportunities for experiential learning. A significant portion of our learning takes place outside the classroom, including co-curricular and extracurricular activities, as well as laboratory work. Essentially, we prepare our students for the future workforce by fostering critical thinking and imparting essential skills. This covers the education aspect.

Secondly, we emphasise research and have state-of-the-art facilities for various domains, such as characterisation and fabrication. We continually upgrade these facilities and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration to address issues of national and global importance. Moreover, we are now placing additional focus on ensuring that our research has a meaningful impact on society. We believe in our responsibility to contribute to society by providing leadership and generating positive change. These are some of the key elements that define our approach.

We constantly seek feedback, evaluate relevance, and strive for improvement in the areas of education, research, and impact. Additionally, innovation and incubation play a significant role in our institution. As a result, our rankings emerge naturally. We never explicitly prioritise rankings because being a university or an institute is a multifaceted endeavour. Rankings may capture certain aspects, but what truly matters to us is that students from all over the country prefer our institution. Our high selectivity demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction.

How can engineering colleges enable a meaningful career for their students, one that gives financial empowerment and impacts society positively?
We lead a program called Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, which connects over 7,000 villages across the country using a hub-and-spoke model. This model involves around 3,000 colleges and universities specialising in engineering and science.
 
In these villages, we explore how technology, science, and interventions can make a difference. We have various projects and internship opportunities aimed at creating positive change. In the next phase, we are also focusing on catalysing innovation and startups in rural areas. Additionally, in terms of healthcare, many of our projects already have a societal impact. We collaborate with different government entities and work on projects that improve people's lives. For instance, our public systems group has created real systems like the food distribution system at Delhi airport, where we utilise optimisation, artificial intelligence, and other techniques. In civil engineering, we have a dedicated water group that addresses issues such as flooding and has developed a medieval-time alert system used by authorities. Similarly, several groups within our institution focus on air quality measurement and attribution. We actively work on solving real problems and finding systemic solutions.

AI is undoubtedly causing significant disruption, raising concerns about job losses and layoffs. Some attribute these layoffs to the impact of AI, while others may associate them with economic recessions. It would be interesting to understand how engineering colleges have been preparing for these challenges over the past year.

Typically, at the entry level, we have not observed many problems in terms of placements or layoffs. However, the long-term impact of AI on jobs is a potential concern, although it is difficult to predict its exact trajectory. To address this, we have established a School of Artificial Intelligence and offer a master's programme in AI. Additionally, we have various courses in machine learning and AI that our graduates can take advantage of. People are equipped with a strong foundation in these areas. Opinions on this matter may differ, but despite advancements in AI and other technologies, we still face real problems related to poverty, hunger, climate change, and disaster resilience. There are challenges to be addressed and opportunities for solutions. While tools and techniques evolve, there is no magic wand. We must understand that these are tools and techniques that need to be applied purposefully. We need to reorient ourselves and perhaps automate routine tasks, but we must also consider what our society needs and determine the role AI should play in that context. This is a complex issue, as some argue for technology determinism, believing that technology will dictate societal paths. However, I personally believe that society has a choice. We need to collectively decide the parameters within which a particular technology, like AI, will develop. We must address concerns related to privacy and proactively establish guidelines and discussions. We need to develop an understanding of systems and find ways to integrate technology with the natural world. As jobs evolve, we should reorient our education system to ensure that we are not confined to predefined standards. We should strive to shape the narrative and retain control over our future.

What kind of specialised programmes do you offer in AI? Are you planning to introduce any new programme?
We currently offer a master's programme in AI, machine learning, and data analytics. We also have online programs available. Additionally, we have integrated AI components into various departments, and we may explore the possibility of introducing additional programs in the future. Furthermore, we recently introduced a master's program in robotics and cybersecurity. We are also considering options in quantum computing and other quantum-related fields. There have been discussions about the potential introduction of an undergraduate program focused on data analytics and AI, but we are still in the exploratory phase for that. Overall, we offer a range of courses and programmes in these domains, and while the basic degree names may remain the same, we continually introduce new courses to keep up with advancements in the field.
 
What are the unique characteristics and advantages of each institution, considering both the perspective of insiders and outsiders? How has your extensive experience as a faculty member at IIT Bombay shaped your understanding and ability to contribute to the institution's legacy?
Ideally, what I believe happens is that each institution has its own unique characteristics. And sometimes, there are advantages of being from a particular place, while there are also advantages of looking at it from the outside. By the way, Bombay has a slightly different approach to doing things; it does, but the core fundamentals remain very similar. Similarly, the Institute in Delhi has its own legacy. I have been a faculty member at IIT Bombay for over 28 years. During this time, I have been involved in teaching, researching, interacting with students, and handling administrative responsibilities. Therefore, I have gained insights into every aspect of the institution, and these experiences have equipped me to effectively work here.
 
What has been the landmark transition in pedagogy?
Let me tell you, at the onset of COVID, before it was happening, people in all domains were very reluctant to have online interactions and meetings. Initially, when it started, at IIT Bombay, and I am sure it was similar at IIT Delhi, there was a hesitation to conduct lectures online, with many faculty members even cancelling them. However, as time went on, faculty members started innovating and became more comfortable with the online format. We learned a lot of lessons related to online teaching, such as different approaches to testing and recording lectures. Some of these lessons have even helped us improve our classroom teaching.

On the negative side, COVID has changed certain habits, especially among students. Attention spans in the physical classroom were affected, so the transition back to in-person teaching had some challenges initially. However, things have improved over time. Now, we can explore hybrid teaching models, where we have a physical classroom setting but also incorporate online elements. This allows for interesting possibilities, such as gathering statistics on student participation and incorporating online resources. Many colleagues have already embraced this approach.

Overall, COVID has increased the repertoire of tools available to us in education. However, the challenge of keeping students engaged and excited about learning remains tough. It requires exceptional teaching skills to maintain someone's attention for 50 minutes. We are currently undergoing a curriculum review to explore how we can make improvements and implement best practices. It is an ongoing process.

Have any of the new teaching and learning methods introduced during the Covid-19 period been retained and continued after the pandemic?
In our system, we do not micromanage. The biggest advantage is that the faculty have the independence to design and conduct their courses as they see fit. We had numerous discussions, even in our Senate, about this matter. We have decided to primarily have physical classes, but we do provide flexibility under certain conditions. For example, in some cases, a percentage of the classes can be conducted online. The overall message is that physical classes are preferred, but there may be instances where presentations or conferences can be done remotely. These are the kinds of considerations we consider.

Now, moving on to the research part, incubation, and startup funding, what progress has been made in recent years, and how has the transferability of research been?
 We have different modes of transferring research and innovation. Firstly, when a new idea is generated within the institution, we have a team of patent attorneys who work with faculty members to file patents. These patents can then be licensed to interested parties. This is one mode of translation.

Secondly, we collaborate with industries where they take over the research and innovation. Additionally, our faculty members can establish incubator companies through our technology business incubator. We have numerous examples of products that have been successfully licensed and commercialised, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, we have initiated research and innovation programs where industries co-locate within our institution. This enables direct interaction between the industry and our academic community. We have 23 centres of Excellence, many of which are funded by industries. These centres focus on specific domains and involve collaboration among multiple faculty members, working on an overall theme. For instance, we have centres of Excellence in clean air, biology-related robotics, and drones (known as BIRD), quantum technologies, climate (supported by Renew Power), and various other domains. These centres receive funding for approximately five years, typically around 10 crore rupees.

We also have strong connections with the services and defence sectors. For example, we have a centre where technology development for defence purposes is undertaken. Some notable achievements include establishing the first quantum encrypted link between two cities, developing indigenous lightweight bulletproof jackets, and being involved in 5G test cases.

What measures has IIT taken to promote diversity among its student population and address gender imbalance?
 Diversity is indeed an important aspect for us. Our student intake is already quite diverse, and this diversity encompasses various dimensions. We have students from different regions, varying income backgrounds, and diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Our classrooms are already reflective of this diversity.

We have been actively focusing on gender equalisation and sensitisation. We have established the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to address these issues. Our efforts also extend to ensuring accessible education for all. This is an ongoing process, and we continuously strive to make progress in these areas. We have implemented initiatives and policies to promote diversity, sensitisation, and representation.

Currently, among our undergraduate student population, approximately 23 per cent are women. Overall, the percentage may be slightly higher, around 27 per cent. While we have made progress, we acknowledge that there is still work to be done. Our goal is to reach a point where gender ceases to be an issue, where there is a balanced representation without the need for special attention. We are committed to moving in the right direction and continuously improving our efforts towards achieving this goal.
 
At IIT, we have implemented certain measures to support and provide opportunities for female students. One such measure is the supernumerary quota in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for women. This means that a certain percentage of seats in each department are reserved for women. However, it is important to note that these women are still required to meet the eligibility criteria and compete based on their ranks.

When it comes to faculty hiring, we do relax the eligibility criteria to encourage the hiring of female faculty members. This is done to address the gender imbalance in the faculty. However, apart from these specific relaxations, we do not relax any other criteria. We are actively working on proactively hiring female faculty members and exploring different strategies to address the issue. We are aware of the problem, track relevant data, and strive to create a safe and comfortable environment for all students.