TN to leverage AI in various sectors, establish protocols

CHENNAI: After analysing the recent developments in various sectors, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to launch the ‘Tamil Nadu Artificial Intelligence Mission’ involving experts to develop guidelines for constructively leveraging AI in education, employment, industry, research and medicine.

The other objective of the mission is to establish clear protocols for AI utilisation in the State across the sectors concerned. The state Information Technology (IT) department has been entrusted with the AI mission task, which will involve professors from leading educational institutions, executives from the electronics industry, and experts in the field.

Sharing insights into the execution of the mission, a senior official from the IT Department, seeking anonymity, told DT Next that under the project, the State government will be constituting an expert committee to prepare a master plan about the mission’s fund allocations and identifying key sectors. “Negative aspects of AI on social media would also be taken into consideration for providing detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the usage of the technology,” he added.

Stating that the AI mission would help the startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by promoting AI technology, he said, “IT department will also come out with various incentive methods, including subsidies and operational expense-based incentives for the companies that will be part of the mission”.

About the usage of AI in the education sector, the IT official said: “The technology will solve some of the huge challenges in education today such as innovative teaching and learning practices”. In connection with the startups and MSMEs, he said: “The mission would automate routine tasks in industrial units, saving time and reducing errors, besides cutting down on electricity use”.

Claiming that the AI could also be misused, especially on social media, the official said the State’s AI policy would bring in a clear protocol so that there would not be any discrepancy.

“This issue is also expected to be solved once the State-level policy is implemented,” said the official adding that the mission would also act as a deterrence against using AI for wrong purposes, like online job recruitment by fake companies”.

The official said the work of forming the committee for TN’s AI mission has already started. “The policy is expected to be released before this calendar year,” he said.

The mission will also establish clear protocols for AI utilisation in the State across the sectors concerned

— Senior official, IT department