Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi students were encouraged to use their expertise for global concerns by Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On Thursday, he spoke to students on ‘Innovation for Public Good’, emphasizing the importance of emerging technology in solving persisting health and development issues, as well as the need for scalable, cost-effective solutions to guarantee equitable delivered.
Gates stated that he had the opportunity through the work of the Foundation to look at innovators who were working in areas starting with health, but also agriculture, gender, and climate. He also emphasized on India’s work in vaccine manufacturing, AI for education, and digital public infrastructure in addition to the importance of collaborative efforts between educational institutions, the government, and the private sector in promoting innovations that can lead to widespread public impact.
Over 1,000 attendees joined the live interactive session where he encouraged students to not only consider their careers in terms of financial impact but also how it relates to achieving social equality. “I hope that as you plot out your future after IIT, you use the skills you sharpened here to improve lives in India and around the world,” said Gates, adding, that the students could make a difference in a “mind-boggling number of ways”.
He further said that AI is the most transformative technology that he has witnessed and that students were fortunate to have the opportunity to explore its potential.
Prof Rangan Banerjee, director, IIT Delhi, delineated IIT Delhi’s vision of fostering an ecosystem that bridges the gap between technological innovation and its applications for public good.
“At IIT Delhi, we are working on innovation in healthcare, nutrition, climate change, and clean air. The Institute hopes to work together with the Gates Foundation to make a greater societal impact through innovation towards that end,” Banerjee added.
Students at the session were keen to know about Gates’ views on the future of technology, building new-age businesses, technology, and his approach to philanthropic impact. There were over 2,000 questions for Gates that were pre-submitted by the students, who sought his suggestion on a wide variety of topics, including becoming an entrepreneur and setting up an organization like Microsoft.
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