IIT Madras launches startup 'PadhAI' to train students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) fields

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched a new startup called "PadhAI" to provide students with training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) fields. The startup goes to offer a hands-on course on 'Deep Learning,' a subset of Artificial Intelligence.

The course is open to all students, faculty and professionals who are expected to have a basic background in the fields of mathematics and programming in Python.

PadhAI's Deep Learning course will cost Rs 1,000 for students and faculty whereas for working professionals, it will cost Rs 5,000. IIT Madras' AI training startup will also collaborate with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to build AI-driven apps.

Summer Garage, an AI residency programme at IIT-M Research Park, will invite top performing students from courses offered by PadhAI. At Summer Garage, invited students can research and find solutions to various problems using AI.

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It will be a 4-month course, consisting of 80 hours of lecture videos. Students who register for the course will have enough time to solve the necessary assignments. Monthly contests and a capstone challenge will also be part of the course to help students build apps like Google Lens. 

"The Indian IT industry has gone through several waves of technology and survived by upskilling. The current wave of AI is very different. It requires both mathematical insight and hands-on experience," Mitesh Khapra, Assistant Professor at IIT-Madras, said in a statement. 

"We need courses that strike the right balance between these two. Only then will India be able to produce visible products and services in the AI age," he added.

The course will accept registrations starting February 1. Registrations for the course close on January 24.