Latest news with #DepartmentofComputerScienceandEngineering
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Indian Express
Tech should be for empowerment, not exclusion: Aaditeshwar Seth, Professor, IIT Delhi
Aaditeshwar Seth is a pioneer in the Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) space in India, and has built several tech platforms, with an eye on empowering the disadvantaged sections of society. A professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Delhi and running the ACT4D (Appropriate Computing Technologies for Development) research group, his interests include building tools for environment and natural resource management in rural areas, participatory information sharing systems in low-literacy environments, and the ethics of information systems. He is the co-founder of The CoRE Stack (Commoning for Resilience and Equality), a digital public infrastructure consisting of datasets and tools that can be used by rural communities to improve sustainability in their farms and villages. He is also the co-founder of Gram Vaani, an organisation designing tech tools to enable voice-based participatory media services for rural communities. Aaditeshwar is an engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and has a Ph.D from the University of Waterloo. Aaditeshwar spoke to on the trends and challenges in the ICT4D space in India, the projects that have worked and those that failed, and his views on designing technology to empower the voiceless. Edited excerpts: Aaditeshwar Seth: Things have changed a lot. The space, which was once driven by internal purpose, now has a lot of new actors. There are nonprofits, startups, social enterprises, governments, international organisations, and large corporations. There are companies like Google and Microsoft eyeing this space, perhaps looking at it from a market opportunity perspective rather than as a development challenge. Not only has the number of innovations and investors increased, but the pace of this work, even in underdeveloped regions, has accelerated. But on the negative side, we have not thought about how to design technology with users in mind. We are not mindful enough about the harm it can cause. We talk about minimising risks, but do not follow through. Perhaps some are reinventing the wheel. The irony is that communities have often already lived these journeys. But their wisdom has not been translated into frameworks or principles to guide on how we build new technologies. I feel that, after all these years, we could have done things in a more thoughtful way. Many players are in the space with goals that are not necessarily aligned with earlier development objectives. Their metrics are different; it could be something like user count, and you will do anything to increase it. But if the metrics were of real impact, like how many government schemes became accessible because of the tools, the outcome would have been different. These are not things that did not work, but rather things that could have been done much better. Aaditeshwar Seth: The key issue is the principles that should have been followed for such projects. They are simple ones like extensive pilots, testing before scaling, understanding potential harm, and minimising risks. These principles have not been fully internalised by the ecosystem. For instance, there was a public health project involving ASHA and Anganwadi workers, delivering vaccines and last-mile healthcare. The data collected — like vaccine scheduling, stock issues, and shortfalls — was useful for performance monitoring and planning. However, this data was sent upward but not returned to the health workers or communities in a way that would help them. For example, a worker could have called a family before a vaccination day or tallied how many vaccines were needed. But the system did not empower frontline workers; it added reporting burdens without direct benefits. Similarly, NREGA has a strong MIS for transparency and has been used for social audits. However, the data is not easy to access. Only someone with specific skills can navigate the MIS. In theory, it meets all criteria, but in practice, there are missed opportunities. Currently, users of such data are limited to financial accounting purposes. On the ground, there are still issues of network connectivity in rural areas, and photo uploads often fail, delaying payments. Women's labour especially gets impacted — for example, work like digging pits for mango planting or water conservation may need flexible timings, but the system now expects workers to log attendance at fixed hours. Technology was introduced to prevent leakage and corruption, but has ended up creating rigidity in the system. Aaditeshwar Seth: One example is using voice technology for education. With Google Assistant, voice recognition, and transcription, users with limited literacy are able to access information effectively. Even on social media platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook, communities are organising unions and social movements. People are figuring out how to use these platforms effectively. Another example is Gram Vaani, which improved social accountability through communication tools. People could call in, discuss problems with government schemes like NREGA, and get verified information. This helped social audits and improved access. These platforms worked not necessarily because of the specific project but because the underlying principles were strong. Aaditeshwar Seth: This is a project focused on rural communities and climate resilience. Issues like falling groundwater levels, soil erosion, and deforestation are being tackled using tech tools. These tools are being used for water and land-use planning, for deciding on where to build check dams or farm ponds. With mobile access, people can now view land-use patterns and rainfall to improve water availability planning. These systems are also tied to schemes like NREGA, which provides funds for constructing such assets. But in practice, the scheme implementation is often top-down. The selection of locations for structures is affected by local power dynamics. Tools are now being developed to allow communities to submit demands online, identify suitable locations based on scientific data, and improve social accountability. This open platform approach helps even small farmers to participate in decision-making. The process involves providing a village location, and the platform suggests optimal interventions. This is also designed to work collectively, not just farmer by farmer. The goal is to use satellite data and machine learning to map conditions and needs. Communities can then verify and submit demands, and platforms can push these to government schemes like NREGA. The panchayat ultimately needs to approve these plans, but this method increases transparency and social accountability. This project has been underway for about two years. It uses satellite data (like from ISRO), combines it with machine learning, and makes it available via mobile apps and dashboards. The team includes environmental researchers, field organisations, engineers, and academic collaborators from institutions like IIT Delhi. The key is to design technologies that put power into the hands of marginalised people. For example, Gram Vaani enabled people to voice their problems, and once these were publicly known, leaders had to act. Similarly, in the current project, people can identify good locations for structures themselves, reducing dependence on officials or auditors. Aaditeshwar Seth: The book talks about how often technology reinforces existing power. But the goal is to design, deploy, and manage technology so that it empowers those without power. Commercialisation of the tools is one way out for marketing them, but if the tools are simple, you might not need a large marketing budget. Word-of-mouth and thoughtful design can reduce costs. Academia can also anchor and support such initiatives. A long-term vision could be to link such tech platforms with income-generating schemes. Instruments like carbon credits are emerging. If communities can demonstrate results, like restored water tables, they could perhaps benefit from these credits. Over time, cooperatives or community-owned models can connect to these markets. Aaditeshwar Seth: It is a lab with students, faculty, and collaborators working on research problems. Earlier, we worked on low-cost computing for community radio stations. The lab supports research, and then deployment happens through organisations like Gram Vaani or CoRE Stack. Currently, all our focus is on CoRE Stack. The lab offers access to real-world problems, and the deployments benefit from research. Both are symbiotic. Aaditeshwar Seth: There are many interesting use cases. For example, using AI for multilingual communication or translating messages to make systems like Gram Vaani more accessible. These things are getting easier, but context still matters. Determining what information applies in what situation is still hard. Unlike a mobile phone, where actions are deterministic, AI systems have uncertainties like misinformation. Users need critical thinking to question what they are seeing or reading. So while AI has great potential, it also demands more awareness from users. But if done right, it can help scale impact.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
2,848 students awarded degrees
Altogether 2,848 students were awarded degrees at the 58th convocation of IIT-Kanpur. The President's Gold Medal was awarded to Talin Gupta from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The Director's Gold Medal for the 4-year UG programme went to Dhruv Misra from Department of Electrical Engineering.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Two-day conference on data science, machine learning, and blockchain technology at VVCE begins on June 27
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE), Mysuru, will be organising its annual international conference on 'Data Science, Machine Learning, and Blockchain Technology (AICDMB -2025)' on June 27 and 28. 'The conference will have a gathering of researchers from academia and industry and business leaders. It will provide a platform for discussing cutting-edge research and will give directions for new innovative business and technology,' said a statement. C. Chandra Sekhar, professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT- Madras, will inaugurate the conference. Research scholars and faculty members from various parts of the country and outside will present the research papers under data science, machine learning, and blockchain technology. Gundappa Gowda, president of Vidyavardhaka Sangha, Mysuru, P. Vishwanath, secretary of Vidyavardhaka Sangha, Mysuru, and B. Sadashive Gowda, principal of VVCE, will be present during the inaugural function.
Hans India
03-05-2025
- Science
- Hans India
Meet organised on recent advancements in AI
Agiripalli (Krishna district): CEO and Managing Director of Efftronics Systems Dr Dasari Ramakrishna took part as the chief guest at the second International Conference on Recent Advancements in Artificial Intelligence, Computational Intelligence, and Inclusive Technologies (ICRAIC2IT – 2025) hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at NRI Institute of Technology here on Friday. The conference was sponsored by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), New Delhi. Addressing the gathering, Dr Ramakrishna cited examples like railway signalling automation, smart municipal lighting, and health monitoring platforms, all built using a systems engineering approach integrating electronics, software, and data analytics. He emphasised the superiority of deterministic automation systems over probabilistic AI models for delivering robust, reliable, and scalable solutions. Dr R Venkat Rao, Chairman of NRIIT, Principal of NRIIT Dr C Naga Bhaskar, Conference Chairman and Dean, CSE & Allied Dr KV Sambasivarao, Convener and Head of the CSE Department Dr D Suneetha, Director (Academics) Dr G Sambasivarao, Dr D Kailasa Rao, Director (Student affairs) also spoke. The conference attracted 284 research paper submissions, of which 114 were accepted for presentation after a rigorous double-blind peer-review process, achieving a 40.14 percent acceptance rate. About 122 prestigious institutions worldwide, including Wright State University, California State University, ISRO, Amrita University, Vellore Institute of Technology, National Forensic Sciences University, and Nectar Info Tek LLC (USA), Chandigarh University, Mahindra University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and Anna University participated in the conference reflecting its global academic stature.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
IMPACTX–2025 hackathon at MITS inspires tech solutions for global challenges
A 24-hour national level inter-institutional Hackathon, IMPACTX–2025 was organised by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science) at Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science (MITS), Madanapalle, in collaboration with Bengaluru-based GeeksforGeeks (GfG). The 24-hour challenge brought together a total of 246 participants, who formed 73 competitive teams. They focused on key areas such as artificial intelligence & machine learning, edtech, healthcare, agrotech, smart cities, sustainability, environment, and student innovation. MITS Principal Dr. C. Yuvaraj said: 'The objective of the hackathon is to inspire participants to create technology-driven solutions addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting sustainable, scalable, and socially impactful innovations. The event featured mentor interactions, technical guidance, and cultural activities. Director of Learning at GeeksforGeeks Abhishek Kelania was the chief guest. Mr. Abhishek said: 'Hackathons foster collaboration, innovation, and networking.'
