Former Cisco President- India and SAARC, Sameer Garde, has joined non-profit Wadhwani AI as its chief executive, according to PTI report.
Garde, who was also Dell India’s president and managing director in the past, will be succeeding P Anandan, who had quit earlier this year.
Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the University of Mumbai was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. It is founded by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs, Romesh and Sunil Wadhwani, who have committed USD 30 million to the institute in its first decade for projects focused on social good.
“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,” Garde was quoted as saying in a statement from Wadhwani AI.
Wadhwani AI is uniquely positioned at the intersection of social impact and artificial intelligence, he added.
Over the last three years, Wadhwani AI has grown into a reputed and unique organisation developing AI-based solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges in the global health and agriculture, the statement said, adding its portfolio today spans tuberculosis, Covid, maternal and child health, and cotton farming.
The institute works closely with almost 40 partner organisations across governments, international organisations, non-profits, philanthropies, and research institutions.
Its projects include bollworm pest management for cotton farming, phone-based newborn anthropometry and prediction of treatment adherence among TB patients.
Garde outlined a two-pronged strategy going forward, which focuses on strengthening work as an innovator and continuing the emphasis on deployment and scaling, and also expand its role as a catalyst for systemic transformation, helping large-scale social impact programmes become AI-ready.
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