Maharashtra to unveil AI policy by April; Ashish Shelar warns against over-reliance

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar said on Thursday that the state would announce an Artificial Intelligence AI policy by April cautioning against overdependence on the technology reported news agency PTIThe information and technology minister was speaking in the legislative council during a discussion on AI initiated by BJP legislator Shrikant Bharatiya reported PTIHe stressed that AI should be viewed as a support system rather than a replacement for existing frameworksHe cautioned against overreliance on AIgenerated information No information obtained through AI is certified by either the state or the Union government Hence it would be dangerous to depend entirely on it he said reported PTIThe state has already set up a task force to explore AI applications in capacity building data protection research and skill development the minister saidThe government also aims to train 50000 individuals including teachers professionals women and sarpanches as cyber security warriors over the next four years he said They will serve as an alarm system to alert authorities he addedShelar said ethical guidelines for the new technology are still evolving It would be premature to formulate an education policy based on AI at this stage he said reported PTIBut AI has potential in education particularly for physically challenged individuals the minister said AI can facilitate personalised learning but we must remember that it is supplementary not an alternative he added reported PTIMaharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis meets Bill Gates discusses use of AI in agriculture healthMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday met Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and discussed potential uses of Artificial Intelligence AI in governance officials saidFadnavis met Bill Gates at the Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai and the two discussed the use of Artificial Intelligence AI in the field of health agriculture and infrastructure facilities the CMs Office said in a statementWe had a very good discussion on varied subjects including Maharashtras initiatives and schemes for youth farmers the poor and women such as Lakhpati Didi and Ladki Bahin Yojana which has contributed immensely to the economic upliftment Fadnavis wrote on XIn the post the CM said he also discussed with Gates the adoption of fastchanging latest technologies and AIdriven initiatives across the stateMr Bill Gates shared that the Gates Foundation will partner with us to make Maharashtra malariafree We also discussed AIdriven advancements in health agriculture and infrastructure along with dengue control and innovation city partnerships he saidFadnavis said he shared with the billionaire that the governments vision includes digitalization in every sector and the establishment of a Skill University with the help of Microsoft to empower the youth with futureready skillsA special initiative will focus on training 10000 women in AI fostering inclusivity in the tech revolution he saidMaharashtra is committed to becoming a model for digital governance and the right to service the CM addedWith inputs from PTI