The Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, the premier business institute in the country, has launched the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CDSA).

The CDSA will undertake ground-breaking research in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) that will contribute to businesses, governance, and policymaking.

The centre will also act as a bridge between scholars and practitioners in data-intensive organisations, besides undertaking case-based research to understand the current industry practice and develop case studies for classroom teaching.

Errol D’Souza, the director, IIM Ahmedabad, said, “Data Science and artificial intelligence are increasingly impacting businesses across the world. AI has become an inevitable part of our lives. To harness the power of these advanced technologies for augmenting businesses, the need of the hour is to bring together different stakeholders onto the same platform, conduct intensive research to identify challenges, determine potential and provide impactful insights.”

Professor Anindya S Chakrabarti, co-chairperson, CDSA explained the imminent need for research and development in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

“AI has transitioned from being a field of science to an integral element of our daily lives. There is a pressing need to harness the power of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. This can be a game-changer, not just for businesses but also for societal needs. The Centre will provide insights that can be of tremendous value to policymakers,” said Chakrabarti.

In addition to academic research, the centre will also take up consultation projects to solve pertinent problems of the industry. One of the key uptaking of the centre is to present an extensive annual report on the data science and AI industry in the country. This report shall provide a birds' eye view of the industry, identify lacunae, gauge the scope of the industry and offer plausible solutions.

The centre's advisory committee constitutes of Sanjiv Das, William and Janice Terry Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business; Sunil Gupta, Edward W Carter Professor of Business Administration, and co-chair of the executive program on Driving Digital Strategy at Harvard Business School; Tiziana Di Matteo, Professor of Econophysics in the Department of Mathematics, King’s College, London.

The endowment for this centre has been contributed by Deepak Gupta, joint managing director, Kotak Mahindra Group.