Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13: A day-long conference on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the education sector was jointly organized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the AIC-SOA Foundation at the Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) campus here on Saturday.
The conference focused on exploring how AI could be effectively integrated into the education policy, practice and future academic frameworks.
The event brought together academic leaders, industry experts, researchers, and policymakers to deliberate on the opportunities, ethical considerations and implementation challenges of AI in higher education.
The discussions centered on how AI could transform traditional teaching-learning systems while ensuring responsible and structured adoption.
Addressing the conference, SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda said while AI was bringing significant transformation to the education system, it should be integrated thoughtfully with existing frameworks and knowledge systems.
He highlighted the need to balance innovation with established academic practices to maximize benefits for students and educators.
Vice-Chancellor of Odisha University of Technology and Research (OUTR), Prof. Bibhuti Bhushan Biswal spoke about the utility of AI in curriculum development.
He also highlighted AI’s growing impact on language-based translation tools, which could enhance accessibility and learning outcomes across diverse linguistic backgrounds.
The other distinguished speakers included Prof. (Dr.) Banshidhar Majhi, Vice-Chancellor of C.V. Raman Global University, Mr. Biren Mishra, CEO of Ortus Innovations, Mr. Sambit Tripathy, Chairman and Managing Director of Livelihood Alternatives, Prof. Ashwini K. Nanda, Founding Director of AI and HPC Research Centre at IIT Bhubaneswar, Mr. Satish Pradhan, Vice- President and Branch Head of Cognizant, Bhubaneswar and Mr. Jayant Panda, CEO of Atharva Cloud Private Limited. The speakers discussed both positive and negative aspects of AI usage, digital literacy, AI-centric policy frameworks and cybersecurity preparedness in academic institutions.
Prof. Damodar Acharya, Chairman of SOA’s International Advisory Board and also former Director of IIT Kharagpur and Prof. Manas Kumar Mallick, Director of AIC-SOA Foundation, were also present at the conference along with senior officials.
Padma Shri awardee and distinguished neurosurgeon Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Principal Advisor (Health Sciences) at SOA, underlined the transformative role of AI in healthcare.
He particularly emphasized its applications in neuroscience and advanced medical decision-making systems highlighting how AI was reshaping diagnostics and treatment planning.
The conference also addressed how students and teachers should responsibly use AI tools. Experts stressed the importance of developing structured policies to guide implementation and ensure ethical usage. There was a strong consensus on redesigning traditional curricula to align with future technological demands. The
participants noted that AI should be used as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for human intelligence. By leveraging AI appropriately, educators could deliver greater knowledge in less time and enhance the overall learning experience. The workshop emphasized the necessity of proper training and awareness to ensure AI was applied effectively in the education sector.
The conference was part of a series of pre-summit events being organized across universities and institutions ahead of a National AI Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi. Experts from various educational institutions, universities and research centers participated in the discussions.
A panel discussion titled “Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Opportunities, Ethics and Implementation Challenges” was conducted during the event. The session was moderated by Prof. Subhranshu Ranjan Samantaray of the School of Electrical Sciences at IIT Bhubaneswar and Professor Ashwini K. Nanda. The panel included Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Mr. Manas Ranjan Panda (Director, STPI Bhubaneswar), Prof. Banshidhar Majhi, Dr. Debabrata Nayak (Director, Cyber Security, PwC India), Dr. Bijay Kumar Sahu (Senior Regional Manager, NRDC), and Mr. H.K. Rath, former Director of ITR, Chandipur and past Chair of IEEE Bhubaneswar Subsection.
The program began with a welcome address by Prof. Renu Sharma, Additional Dean (Student Affairs), ITER, SOA, and concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean of Students’ Welfare.
