IBM to set up AI CoE with GeM

Global technology firm IBM will set up an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to bring in transparency, usability, efficiency and cost savings in the public procurement process, CEO Arvind Krishna said on Monday.

He was speaking at an AI Summit, Responsible AI for Social Empowerment (RAISE 2020).

AI is one of the biggest technology revolutions of our time, with data becoming the innovation engine for the technology industry, he said.


“At a global level, AI will unlock $15.7 trillion in productivity by 2030 and it has the potential to not only boost economic growth but improve the livelihoods of millions around the world,” said Krishna.

In India, the company is working with the Karnataka state government and Niti Aayog to deploy precision agriculture solutions combining AI and weather data to help farmers take better decisions. The solution was developed in India.

“Greater adoption of AI is driven by data, trust and skills, and this is where India should focus its efforts,” said Krishna, adding that the country’s large developer community and a strong scientific and engineering culture would work to its advantage.

Good data is needed to run AI, and the value comes from how this data is refined and applied.

The second imperative is trust, and this is important when applying AI to highly critical domains like healthcare. Trust also means avoiding bias and being able to replicate results. Finally, building AI models is a labour-intensive and daunting task and there is a massive skills shortage globally.

“Getting AI done right is difficult. We’re only at about 4% into the journey globally,” he said.

AI together with hybrid Cloud and eventually, quantum computing, will have a profound impact on every sector, Krishna said.