Chandigarh: Punjab Governor and Administrator, U.T. Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday called upon Vice-Chancellors of universities to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for transforming higher education, research and innovation, while ensuring that technology remains human-centric, ethical, inclusive and socially responsible.
Addressing the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference on “Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education” at Punjab Lok Bhavan, Kataria said the AI revolution was changing the way people learn, work, conduct research and take decisions. He described AI as a transformative force that could significantly influence India’s economy and society in the coming decades. 
The conference commenced with an introduction to the theme by Jaspal Singh Sandhu, prominent educationist and former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar followed by a presentation on “MY Bharat – Mera Yuva Bharat” by Sorabh Kumar Arora, Director, Sports, Chandigarh Administration.
The Governor said universities must look beyond AI as merely a subject of engineering and computer science and promote multidisciplinary AI education across medicine, agriculture, law, finance, languages, social sciences and other fields. He urged institutions to develop AI-based solutions for agriculture, healthcare, water conservation, governance and environmental challenges.
 Kataria stressed the importance of AI laboratories, bridge courses, certification programmes, reskilling and practical learning. Emphasising responsible AI, the Governor highlighted concerns relating to data privacy, cybersecurity, deepfakes, misinformation, transparency and accountability. He said students must learn not only what AI can do, but also what AI should and should not do.