Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday urged university vice-chancellors (V-Cs) to harness artificial intelligence (AI) for transforming higher education, research and innovation, while ensuring technology remains human-centric, ethical, inclusive and socially responsible
He described the technology as a transformative force capable of influencing India’s economy and society in the coming decades. He called for multidisciplinary AI education spanning medicine, agriculture, law, finance, languages and social sciences, while encouraging institutions to develop AI-based solutions for challenges related to agriculture, healthcare, water conservation, governance and the environment. The conference began with an introduction to the theme by educationist and former Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) V-C Jaspal Singh Sandhu. The technical session on the–future of technical education with the advent of AI–was addressed by K K Aggarwal, president of South Asian University (SAU), New Delhi, former chairman of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and founding V-C of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Rajeev Ahuja, director, IIT Ropar, and his team presented on emerging AI technologies and applications in higher education. Best practices were shared by V-C Suresh Kumar of Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Pushpinder Singh Gill of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University and Vinay Goyal of CGC University.
Addressing a V-Cs’ conference on “Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education”, at Punjab Lok Bhavan, Kataria said the AI revolution was changing how people learn, work, conduct research and make decisions. Kataria said universities should move beyond treating AI as a subject restricted to engineering and computer science. A presentation on “MY Bharat – Mera Yuva Bharat” was also delivered by UT administration director, sports, Sorabh Kumar Arora.
He also highlighted the National Education Policy-2020, IndiaAI Mission, BharatGen, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and One Nation One Subscription (ONOS). He said universities would play a crucial role in preparing India’s youth and contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. A special address by Lovely Professional University (LPU) professor and additional director Harpal Thethi focused on strengthening university-industry partnerships and producing industry-ready graduates. Kataria stressed the need for AI laboratories, bridge courses, certification programmes, reskilling and practical learning. At the same time, he flagged concerns over data privacy, cybersecurity, deepfakes, misinformation, transparency and accountability.
He said students must understand not only what AI can do, but also what it should and should not do.
