Meet the participants of Intel’s AI for Youth programme
Today, we live in a technology-driven world that not only affects the adults but also the youngsters. In fact, sectors such as education, healthcare, trade and commerce as well as other global relations – all are vastly dependent on technology. Taking this into account, tech giant Intel launched their ‘Digital Readiness Program’ (DRP) with the aim of “creating technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.” DRP is meant for 30 million people spread across 30,000 institutions in 30 nations worldwide. The key objectives include making technology inclusive, upskilling people for larger socio-economic welfare and above all making the society digitally ready.
As part of the ‘Digital Readiness Program,’ Intel India pioneered the AI for Youth programme. Artificial intelligence is at the core of this initiative, where the goal is to demystify and democratise AI in such a way that it not only drives innovation but also spurs social and individual growth.
The AI for Youth programme is modelled to offer the young generation (aged 8 to 18 years) with AI resources so that they can come up with relevant and innovative AI solutions to burning social matters. It is categorised into three branches: ‘AI integration in School Curriculum’, ‘Responsible AI for Youth’ and ‘Building AI Readiness Among Youth Innovators’. While the first programme is a joint venture with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the second and third ones are both in collaboration with two ministries of the Government of India: Ministry of Electronics & IT and Department of Science & Technology, respectively.
Till date, the AI for Youth programme has transformed the lives of over 1 lakh students and 12,000 educators across 10,000 schools in 35 states. Let us introduce you to some of the participants of this programme.
Manisha Ramola
Hailing from Phata, Uttarakhand, Manisha Ramola, an undergraduate student pursuing her Bachelor’s degree from a college in Rudraprayag enrolled herself in the AI for Youth programme when she was in her class 12 studying at Rashtriya Inter College in her hometown. “I vividly recall the day when our Maths teacher Mr. Manish Maithani had summoned students of classes 9 to 12 and introduced us to AI and the programme. There were only 15 to 20 of us, who were asked to look around for a problem to solve using AI,” shares the 18-year-old. Luckily, Manisha’s idea titled ‘Medicinal Leaf’ made it to the top 100 under the programme. The AI-oriented app idea that she came up with is meant to provide information on medicinal leaves and herbs that are widely available across India. Her goal is simple: Helping people easily identify herbs and not use the wrong ones to treat a particular wound. Her AI project eventually qualified for the top 20 while she received national recognition for it. Manisha is proud of her roots and aims to become a data scientist one day.
Nandini Kushwaha
A class IX student of Government Girls Inter College at Patha, Uttar Pradesh, Nandini, like most teenagers, is full of life and dreams. Growing up to the joys of technology, this 14-year-old was encouraged by her school’s Math teacher to participate in the AI for Youth programme who identified her inclination towards science. After an initial training on AI and understanding its basics, Nandini came up with an idea called Mitti ko jano, fasal pehchano. It literally translates to ‘Understand the soil, recognise the right crop’. When asked about her inspiration, she says, “Growing in a farming community, I have been aware of the vagaries of the occupation since my childhood. I know that the quality of the soil is crucial in deciding the quality of the crop. In absence of any means to understand soil and its components, farmers are often unable to make an informed decision. Seeing how this impacted the income generated in a farming household, I wanted to address the problem first-hand.” Her AI-led model has been made in such a way that it can assess various components of soil including pH, nutrition level, temperature etc. and can even recommend the crop/s most suitable for growing on it. She considers herself lucky to have been part of the top 125 among 2400 contestants. The budding AI-enthusiast has secured a full scholarship for the rest of her school education by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India. Nandini’s technical expertise and noble intention to provide an innovative solution to a pressing community issue earned her this recognition.
Puhabi Chakraborty
Belonging to a family of STEM achievers, this 15-year-old’s interest in the field is rooted in her DNA. Studying in class X, Puhabi is a passionate athlete and thus knew exactly what she wanted to design when she got a chance to participate in the AI for Youth programme. The result was AthleteX, an AI-based app that has the ability to scan different nutrition requirements as well as other bodily parameters of an athlete such as fat percentage, muscle percentage, heart rate, glycaemic level, sleep pattern and so on. “Based on this information, my app recommends diet and exercises taking into account the sport and its level the user is involved in,” shares Puhabi. She intends to keep improving her app and make it accessible for one and all. She has found her true calling in AI but wants to become a professor like her father one day. Recipient of the Pradhanmantri Rashtriya Bal Puruskar 2022 on the auspicious occasion of National Girl Child Day for her spirometer project, Puhabi is currently pursuing internships at two American universities. Spirometer is a device that provides enough oxygen to Covid-19 patients and helps ease their breathing
Varun Arora
Once a novice in AI and all other programming languages, this 16-year-old has quickly turned into a seasoned AI professional. He has done it all within a span of 3 years after being introduced to the field of artificial intelligence. An AI for Youth alumnus (was part of the programme in 2019), he has freelanced as an AI programmer and helped 50 plus businesses spread across 15 countries. Currently, he leads a non-profit organisation called Visard wherein he and his team of 9 members assist local businesses in using AI and chatbots. “I see myself as an entrepreneur, working in the field of AI and aiding the world,” he shares. Having successfully accomplished 50 projects in AI and machine learning (ML), Varun considers the AI for Youth programme a turning point in his life, that helped shape his journey of AI exploration. Having featured in publications such as YourStory and Times, he regards himself lucky to be able to inspire his own generation towards this powerful technology. He plans to pursue a degree in AI and gaining experience in the industry, before setting up his own AI automation company.