AICTE sounds AI bugle for core engineering streams as well

With the All India Council for Technical Education, the apex body for technical education in India, declaring 2025 as ‘The Year of AI’, various institutes are exploring ways in which AI can be introduced not just as separate courses but as an interdisciplinary part of the curriculum of core courses also. “It is important for us to remember that what we call AI today, like computers a few years ago, is more like a tool,” said Assistant Professor Sourav Sarkar from Jadavpur University which has open electives on AI and ML offered by the Computer Science department to final year students from all departments. By the second day of placements, almost all students had gotten placed.” Speaking about incorporating AI into core branches, Prof Bhattacharjee said, “I specialise in wireless communication within the electrical engineering branch. I am teaching this course on ‘AI application in Wireless Communication’ this semester and it is being attended by core BTech students as well as MTech and PhD students.” Manufacturing, robotics and production that fall within the domain of mechanical engineering use AI, he added. Premier institutes will not face many challenges in this but it could prove to be a sure challenge for others.” Cross-fertilisation of knowledge amongst colleagues across branches, keeping oneself updated with latest innovations through research journals and papers and deliberation with other universities are some of the factors that have helped IIT Guwahati incorporate AI in a way that speaks to core engineering branches, Prof Bhattacharjee stressed.