AI Appreciation Day: All You Need To Know

You might have come across several images created by artificial intelligence that went viral for imagining quirky things or how people would look if they were something else than reality. Also, did you fall in love with Aaditya Iyer (AI), the virtual man created by Bharat Matrimony as part of a Valentine's Day campaign?

AI seems to be becoming the talk of the town and part of our lives these days. And, there's a day to celebrate the technology. AI Appreciation Day is observed every year on July 16 i.e. this Sunday. What are your plans for this day? You might try talking to your AI assistant on your smartphone (Alexa, Siri...) or catch up on some news updates delivered by some AI news anchor. Yes, yes, that's actually a thing too.

AI Appreciation Day

AI Appreciation Day came into being in 2021 when AI Heart LLC established it to create awareness about the technology’s positive contributions to humanity and educate people about concerned ethics.

Did you know? It is said that it was in 1943 that the first recognized AI was created in McCulloch and Pitts' formal design for the Turing-complete artificial neurons. And, later in the years, post-2000s, various software projects integrated some form of AI within internet giant Google.

India and AI

Amidst the debate about whether the technology and its innovations would pose a threat to humans and their jobs, researchers suggest embracing AI as a boon. In 2020, India joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), with 15 other countries, where they establish frameworks for the responsible utilization of emerging, disruptive technologies.

Meanwhile, it was in 2018 that the Indian government published the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence to develop an ecosystem for the research and adoption of Artificial Intelligence. The National Education Policy (NEP) also recommends students stay up-to-date with contemporary skills which include artificial intelligence.

"India has cemented itself in the adoption of AI to drive transformative advancements across sectors such as education, health, agriculture, urbanization, mobility, and more, " says Yeshasvini Ramaswamy speaking to FPJ, who serves as the Co-chair of ASSOCHAM National Council on Quality and Productivity and is Serial Entrepreneur & CEO of Great Place To Work ® India.

"With Technology Innovation Hubs focused on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at leading Indian universities and Cloud Computing Platforms for research, analytics, and knowledge assimilation, India is positioned as a leading player in the global AI architecture," she adds.

Experts believe that the government's visionary approach recognises AI as a catalyst for societal progress and thus views a wave of new opportunities in AI and robotics.