Campus pick of the year: AI and data science

Chennai: AI is generating unmatched interest among engineering students and colleges are cashing in. Sixty engineering colleges want to add 5,000-plus seats in artificial intelligence and data science courses for the next academic year. And, another 19 colleges wanted to start such courses, according to Anna University.This has pushed AI and data science past computer science engineering in terms of demand. "Colleges are adding seats as they expect more jobs to emerge in the AI and data science field," said chairman of Chennai Institute of Technology Sriram Parthasarathy. "Computer science, however, is still very popular among students," he added.And that is true. Computer science has been students' top choice for the past five years, and this year, more than 50 colleges seek to add 4,000 seats in the field. Overall, we're looking at more than 15,000 seats next year across various branches, such as information technology (IT) and electronics and communication engineering (ECE). Some colleges even seek to increase their intake in biomedical engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and electronics and instrumentation engineering.But, when it comes to syllabus, AI and data science share more than 60% of its topics with computer science engineering courses. "There are very few postgraduates from AI-related courses. While colleges are trying to equip faculty members, it will take two to three years to stabilize," said principal of Trichy's Saranathan College of Engineering in D Valavan.The AI rage has spread to arts and science colleges too, with 25 colleges under the University of Madras wanting to start BSc computer science with AI, and 12 colleges wanting to start BSc computer science with data science for 2025-26.So, what's next? Training faculty. "A large-scale training for schoolteachers and college faculty is the need of the hour. Faculty members from other branches also need to know the impact of AI in their relevant branches and on students," said professor B Ravindran, head of Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT Madras. "Students studying AI and data science too need to get lots of hands-on training by doing projects, taking part in online tutorials, competitions, and hackathons. AI projects will give them an advantage in placement interviews," he added.Top colleges are also encouraging their faculty to take up AI courses offered by institutes such as the IITs. "We have established an AI lab in partnership with Intel. And the syllabus is regularly updated as it's a rapidly evolving field" said CEO of Sri Sairam Engineering College Sai Prakash Leo Muthu.And all this won't be for nothing as students from this branch get higher pay packages in some colleges, and demand for talent too is likely to skyrocket. "Demand for AI talent is expected to exceed supply by nearly one million by 2027," said Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, partner at Catalincs and former CMD, Cognizant, India. "Given this opportunity, Tamil Nadu expanding the talent pool by introducing additional computer programmes specializing in AI will strengthen its leadership position. Having said that, we need to embed AI in every discipline of science and engineering, as well as management, social sciences, and humanities. These programmes should be application-oriented and start from the first year of study itself," he added.