The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched a BTech program in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, with student admissions commencing in the upcoming academic year 2024-25.
Admission to this program will be through JEE (Advanced) exam and 50 students will be admitted. Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) counseling for the batch of 2024 is currently underway.
This undergraduate degree (course code – 412L: Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics), aims to equip students with essential skills and knowledge. The course will cover various aspects of AI and data analytics, with an emphasis on mathematical fundamentals, foundations of data science/AI/ML, application development, and responsible design. It will also offer an interdisciplinary approach, according to a press release.
“AI is evolving across the disciplines of engineering, science and humanities. Understanding these multidisciplinary connections is extremely important to succeed in this field. The BTech in AI and Data Analytics is particularly well placed to address this aspect. It is the first of its kind in the world,” said Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.
The BTech program is offered through the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, established with an endowment of ₹110 crore from Sunil Wadhwani, a distinguished alumnus of IIT Madras and co-founder of iGATE and Mastech Digital.
The program, which was designed from the ground up to focus on both the fundamentals of AI and how to create applications and system-oriented AI design, will provide academic flexibility, allowing students to tailor their learning path through a wide range of elective courses within and outside the department.
“AI is at a similar stage to where computing was 30 years ago. This technology is poised to become a transformative technology and will be the defining technological development of this generation and perhaps the next. We will ensure that students have a thorough grasp of the fundamentals of AI, thereby enabling them to pursue a career in research if they wish,” said Prof B Ravindran, Director, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras.
The program is divided into four parts: “Science Foundations”, which covers mathematics, science and statistics; “Modeling techniques”, including convolutional neural networks and deep networks; “Model training and deployment”, focused on algorithms; and “Domain Applications”, incorporating all of these elements.
