Leading AI nonprofit, the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI), announced that prominent technology leader Mr. Sameer Garde will join as its CEO in August. An industry veteran, Mr. Garde is currently the President of Cisco India and SAARC, and previously led Dell India as its President and MD.

Wadhwani AI was inaugurated in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Over the last three years, it has grown into a reputed and unique organization developing AI-based solutions for some of the world's toughest challenges in global health and agriculture. Its portfolio today spans tuberculosis, covid, maternal & child health, and cotton farming. The institute works closely with almost 40 partner organizations across governments, international organizations, nonprofits, philanthropies, and research institutions. 

Among the innovations the organization is developing are: bollworm pest management for cotton farming (the only Indian winner of Google AI Impact Challenge), phone-based newborn anthropometry (winner of the Fast Company Best World Changing Idea APAC), and prediction of treatment adherence among TB patients.

Speaking on the occasion of this announcement, Mr. Garde said, “My experience with Cisco and NASSCOM has reinforced my belief that technology, if wielded deliberately as a force for social good, can enable an inclusive and equitable future for all. Wadhwani AI, uniquely positioned at the intersection of social impact and artificial intelligence, is the perfect place for me to pursue that passion.”

“We will move forward with a renewed focus on impact through a two-pronged strategy. First, we will further strengthen our work as an innovator and continue the emphasis on deployment and scaling. Second, we will expand our role as a catalyst for systemic transformation helping large-scale social impact programs become AI-ready,” Mr. Garde added. Mr. Garde succeeds Dr. P. Anandan who retired earlier this year.

Mr. Garde is well-positioned to pursue this ambitious mission. He brings experience building high-performance teams and scaling technology solutions to billion-dollar businesses. He has also partnered closely with government agencies, social and corporate sectors, and led several industry bodies to improve access to technology initiatives. 

Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) is an independent nonprofit institute building AI-based solutions for underserved communities in developing countries. It collaborates with social sector organisations, governments, domain experts and research institutions to identify real-world challenges and create and deploy innovative AI for sustainable, scalable impact. 

The Institute is currently developing solutions in:

• Tuberculosis (TB): In 2019 there were an estimated 10 million TB cases worldwide with 1.4 million TB-related deaths. India accounts for ~26% of the world’s TB burden. As the official AI partner of the Central TB Division (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare), Wadhwani AI is working with WHO and other partners to improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment as part of the National TB Elimination Program.
• Cotton Farming: More than 75% of India’s ~6 million cotton farmers are smallholder farmers. Pests such as bollworms account for 20-30% crop losses every year and often force farmers into poverty and indebtedness. Wadhwani AI’s bollworm pest management solution enables early detection and surveillance to reduce crop damage and overuse of pesticides. It is being developed and deployed with partners of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and government programs of Telangana and Maharashtra.
• Maternal, newborn & child health: About 20 million low birthweight (LBW) babies (those with a birth weight under 2.5 kg) are born worldwide each year, most of them in developing countries. For LBW babies, neonatal mortality rate is 20 times higher and they are at increased lifelong risk of disease and poor health. Despite health systems’ persistent efforts, birthweight data were not available for nearly one third of all newborns in 2015 globally, putting vulnerable LBW babies at risk of not receiving appropriate care. Wadhwani AI is developing a smartphone-based anthropometry solution that is easy-to-use for frontline health workers to weigh and detect LBW babies.