Minister for information technology and digital service Palanivel Thiga Rajan on Tuesday inaugurated the 10th Annual Leadership conference on 'Data Analytics,AI Research,and Transcendent Thinking for Transformative 'Leadership' at Stella maris College ( Autonomous) Chennai. The annual event is organised in collaboration with Trinity Western University (TWU), Canada.

Addressing a gathering, the Minister highlighted the significant contribution of Christian missionaries towards the development of the education and healthcare systems. Lauding the collaboration between Stella Maris and TWU, he said "We, in the government of Tamil Nadu, are in discussion with many universities, States, and Countries to develop a talent pipeline from here" Mr. Rajan interacted with the students on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the robotics revolution that began in the late 1980s. 

 

Impact on jobs

"I remember my early days as a consultant in the automotive industry in the U.S. during the late 1980s. Tasks such as lifting products from one conveyor  belt and placing them onto another conveyor were carried out manually. Everyday was afraid that they were going to get replaced. Though it did happen, it took about 25 years," he said. 

"Today, when I visit a car assembly plant, I'm amazed...while there used to be 100 people in 1990, there are probably 10 now. The rest all is mechanised. Robots have become flexible of being programmed in numerous ways, and while this has led to massive job loss, it took about 30 years for this transformation to fully unfold, he further said. " I guess AI will follow the same path" he concluded.

Media: The Hindu