India AI mission holds workshop to strengthen AI-ready data ecosystem

The IndiaAI Mission organised a workshop on AIKosh, the national datasets and models platform, in New Delhi to explore ways to unlock the potential of India’s data for artificial intelligence (AI) development. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from the government, industry, academia and the startup ecosystem to deliberate on strengthening the country’s AI-ready data infrastructure.

Dr Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, inaugurated the workshop and emphasised the need to build a robust data ecosystem that supports the responsible use of data. He highlighted the growing importance of high-quality and accessible data in enabling emerging AI capabilities and driving innovation.

Saurabh Vijay, CEO, IndiaAI Mission, underlined the strategic role of data in advancing India’s sovereign AI ambitions. He stressed the importance of unlocking the value of the country’s diverse data assets to foster technological innovation and contribute to national development.

Delivering the plenary remarks, S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), highlighted the need for an enabling ecosystem that facilitates the responsible and impactful use of data. He noted that collaboration among various stakeholders would be crucial to advancing India’s AI ambitions.

The workshop focused on strengthening collaboration between data custodians, technology developers, researchers, startups and institutions. Discussions centred on measures that can help make India’s data resources more accessible and useful for AI applications while promoting responsible data practices.

According to MeitY, the workshop marks an important step towards strengthening India’s data ecosystem and encouraging greater engagement among stakeholders. The initiative is expected to support the development and adoption of AI solutions at scale, while contributing to India’s broader vision of becoming a globally competitive and self-reliant AI ecosystem.