MSDE Collaborates with Meta to Provide AI Support to Skill India Mission

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Oct 15, 2024 — 5 min read

MSDE and Meta Collaboration Skill India Mission AI Support

The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) announced on 14 September that it has partnered with Meta to launch two significant projects: the creation of five Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) at National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jodhpur, Chennai, and Kanpur; and the AI Assistant for the Skill India Mission.

The aim of the Ministry is to equip India's youth with the necessary skills to succeed in the current competitive landscape, according to Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, who commented on the cooperation. The Ministry is democratising access to cutting-edge technology and providing personalised learning pathways for the nation's youth by incorporating artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and mixed reality into the Skill India ecosystem. Today's collaboration with Meta is a big step in the right direction.

Sharing his views on this development, Davinder Bhasin, Founder, One Health Assist stated, "India is turning younger every day, and its youth are its greatest asset. The partnership between MSDE and Meta to introduce AI into the Skill India Mission is a visionary step that empowers young Indians to thrive in today’s tech-driven world. By equipping our youth with AI-enhanced learning tools, we are not only providing them with relevant, future-ready skills but also addressing the possible challenge of lower employment rates in the digital age."

"This initiative will help bridge critical skill gaps and ensure that young professionals can seamlessly integrate into modern industries, from healthcare to technology. For India to remain competitive on the global stage, especially as AI becomes a cornerstone of innovation, initiatives like these by our Government are vital. At One Health Assist, we believe this collaboration is key to positioning India as a leader in the AI revolution across all industries and more so of health care, ecommerce, education, financial services, customer service, transportation etc. unlocking opportunities for our youth and fostering growth for the nation," he opined further.

Expressing similar sentiments, Rashmi Kulkarni, Co- Founder & Director of IndoAI said, "The collaboration between MSDE and Meta is a significant step forward for the Skill India Mission. Meta’s AI capabilities will not only deliver AI-specific training but also enhance the effectiveness of existing courses under the Skill India initiative. For example, AI can be used to personalize learning in fields like welding or electronics, where virtual simulations can adapt to the learner's pace, offering tailored feedback to improve skill mastery."

How this Partnership will Shape Up the India's AI ecosystem?

This collaboration will result in the development of a cutting-edge AI chatbot that will improve the learner experience on the Skill India Digital (SID) Portal and is powered by Meta's open-source Llama model. The chatbot, which will be incorporated into the SID Portal, provides users with round-the-clock support, facilitating easy access to course information, interactive Q&A for course materials, lecture summaries, and pertinent videos for review. The chatbot will be available on WhatsApp and support voice commands in Hindi, English, and Hinglish, making it more user-friendly for a wider variety of Indian consumers. Users can also look up particular course subjects, locate skill development facilities, look through job postings according to geography and interest, and get personalised feedback for ongoing development. Additionally, the chatbot will give the MSDE insightful information that will help them better optimise the platform. The chatbot will be developed and implemented by Sarvam AI, the AI assistant project's technical partner. It will undergo a six-month pilot programme.

It envisions a collaborative e-governance framework for adoption of impactful AI solutions with the potential to catalyse large-scale socio-economic transformation in line with India's AI Mission by making Meta's open-source AI models accessible to India's AI ecosystem. Additionally, these five CoEs at NSTIs will provide educators and students with the newest VR technology so they may learn new skills and improve on ones they already know in a secure, captivating setting. Through an easy-to-use digital interface, the AI assistant partnership seeks to enhance learning outcomes, expedite information access, and offer students seamless support. The five CoEs will also boost accessibility to skill development training, enhance participation, and offer realistic simulations.

Appreciating this move, Ajay Rao, CEO & Founder, Emiza stated, "By integrating advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and mixed reality, the Ministry is democratizing access to cutting-edge tools and creating personalized learning pathways for the workforce of tomorrow."

"For industries like logistics, this collaboration couldn’t come at a better time. At Emiza, we already see the transformative impact AI can have enabling smarter route optimization, demand forecasting, real-time inventory management, and predictive analytics. These innovations drive operational efficiencies, enhance customer experiences, and significantly reduce costs. However, we believe it’s essential to foster a human-machine partnership where AI acts as an enabler, not a replacement. By blending AI’s capabilities with human expertise, businesses can unlock new levels of productivity and innovation," he added further.

Skill India Digital Portal

Vice President and Head of Public Policy of Meta India, Shivnath Thukral, stated that Meta is dedicated to utilising cutting-edge technologies like AI, VR, and MR to make a significant contribution to India's economic growth. The collaborations between Meta India and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MDSE) demonstrate the company's dedication to closing the digital divide in education. By incorporating cutting-edge technologies like Open-Source Llama, the company hopes to empower educators and entrepreneurs in addition to students by giving them the resources they need to succeed in the modern, digitally native world.

With millions of students using the Skill India Digital Portal to obtain courses designed to increase their employability, the platform has emerged as a key component of the country's skilling ecosystem. By introducing the AI chatbot, MSDE and Meta are making great progress towards transforming the way students engage with the material and get ready for the future. Furthermore, in order to provide students and teachers with the newest technology and enable immersive and interactive learning experiences, Skillveri, the technical partner for setting up the CoEs, will supply state-of-the-art VR and MR materials, curriculum, and qualified personnel.