About 60 leaders from academia and industry deliberate on artificial intelligence in research, governance, curriculum, and ethics.
SURATHKAL: The Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi, in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, organized the South Zone Conference on the "Strategic Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education" on Friday at the Digital Library on the NITK campus.
The one-day event brought together nearly 60 delegates representing universities, colleges, and industrial bodies across AIU’s South Zone. Participants exchanged best practices, ongoing institutional initiatives, and sector-specific strategies aimed at navigating the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in academia.
Leadership Vision
Delivering the inaugural address online from New Delhi, Prof. Vinay Kumar Pathak, President of AIU, underscored the imperative for higher education institutions to proactively adapt to transformative technologies.
Addressing the gathering in person, Dr. Amarendra Pani, Joint Director (Research) at AIU, alongside Prof. B. Ravi, Director of NITK Surathkal, highlighted how strategic AI integration is crucial for reshaping teaching methodologies, administrative efficiency, and institutional research frameworks.
Technical Sessions & Industry Insights
The technical agenda focused on key pillars of modern education:
AI-Enabled Teaching and Learning: Prof. Karthik Raman, Head of Computational Systems Biology research at the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras, led the discussion on personalized and tech-assisted learning models.
Governance and Data-Driven Decisions: Dr. K. Visalini, Director of R&D at VIKA Park, detailed how predictive data models can streamline university governance and decision-making processes.
Research and Innovation: Sarath Kummamuru, Head of Technology at Bharat Connect (formerly with Airtel Payments Bank and Razorpay), shared perspectives on applying AI frameworks to accelerate research outcomes.
Ethics and Future Curriculum
A panel discussion in the afternoon addressed the evolving needs of university curricula, future workforce skills, and ethical concerns surrounding automated systems in education.
The panel featured Sarath Kummamuru and Prof. Raja Subramanian, Senior Vice President at USDC Global, Bangalore. Prof. Subramanian, whose organization works closely with academic institutions on technology integration and curriculum redesign, also delivered a standalone session during the conference.
The event concluded with an interactive group exercise where delegates collaborated on practical solutions derived from their institutional experiences, followed by a formal valedictory ceremony.
The conference was jointly organized by NITK’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Information Technology, and Department of Mathematics and Computational Sciences, with sponsorship from USDC Global, Bangalore.
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