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Jodhpur, 15th September 2026: Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used to answer questions and process information. But in real-world situations, people often need more than an answer—they need an intelligent system that can understand information from different sources, connect it with relevant knowledge and help complete a task. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur) are working towards developing such AI assistants for healthcare, education, research and industry. The research is being led by Dr. Divya Saxena, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, at the Institute’s Machine Intelligence Lab. The research aims to develop AI systems that can bring together different forms of information—including images, text, documents, speech and sensor data—and use them together to provide useful, task-specific assistance. In healthcare, for example, such systems could help connect medical images with reports and patient information. In industry, they could bring together machine images, sensor readings, operational logs and technical manuals to support troubleshooting. In education and research, they could help users work with papers, documents and learning resources. The scale of India’s healthcare, education and industrial ecosystem underlines the need for AI systems that can process and reason across multiple forms of data efficiently. In healthcare, a 2023 review reported that India had roughly one radiologist for every 100,000 people, with subspecialty radiologists particularly scarce and concentrated mainly in large tertiary-care hospitals and academic institutions. This highlights the potential value of AI systems that can help clinicians work with medical images, reports and other patient information, particularly where specialist expertise may be limited. In school education alone, UDISE+ 2024–25 records 24.69 crore students, 14.71 lakh schools and 1.01 crore teachers, creating an enormous opportunity for AI-assisted, personalised learning and academic support. Higher education adds nearly 4.46 crore students, according to provisional AISHE data for 2022–23. On the industrial front, India’s manufacturing sector generated about ₹47.47 lakh crore in real GVA in 2025–26, growing 10.7% over the previous year. This reflects the scale of industrial activity where AI could support areas such as predictive maintenance, quality control, process optimisation and decision-making. Together, these numbers demonstrate why multimodal, efficient and agentic AI—capable of working with text, images, documents, speech and sensor or machine data—can have wide-ranging applications across healthcare, education and industry, particularly when such systems can deliver useful intelligence with lower computational requirements. A key focus is also to make these AI systems smaller, faster and easier to deploy. Large AI models can require expensive computing infrastructure and continuous internet connectivity. IIT Jodhpur’s research therefore explores ways to enable capable AI systems to operate locally—for example, in a hospital, factory or low-connectivity rural environment—while reducing computing and deployment requirements. The research brings together three interconnected areas: Multimodal Learning, which enables AI to work with different types of information; Efficient AI, which focuses on making AI models practical and resource-efficient; and AI Agents, which can use information, tools, domain knowledge and context to assist with complete tasks rather than simply answering individual questions. Dr. Divya Saxena, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, said: “Our aim is to build AI systems that can understand information from different sources, work within real-world resource constraints and provide meaningful, context-specific assistance. The future of AI is not only about building bigger models, but also about making AI affordable, scalable, private and useful where it is needed.” She added, “We want to move beyond AI systems that only answer questions towards AI assistants that can connect information, knowledge and tools to support people in completing real-world tasks.” The broader vision of this research is to develop AI as a practical support system for people, institutions and society, particularly in areas where information comes from multiple sources and resources may be limited. ( Disclaimer: This report is generated from PRO services. ‘ArdorComm Media’ holds no responsibility for its content. )

New Delhi, 16th September 2026: Professor Nobhojit Roy has been appointed Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health, India, succeeding Professor Vivekanand Jha, who led the Institute’s India office for 13 years. Professor Roy is a surgeon, global health researcher and health systems leader whose experience spans research, clinical practice, policy and health system strengthening in India and internationally. His work has focused particularly on improving trauma outcomes and surgical care and strengthening healthcare delivery in resource-constrained settings. He spent two decades at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Hospital and Homi Bhabha National Institute in Mumbai, including as Professor and Chief of Surgical Services. He subsequently served as National Advisor for Public Health Planning and Evidence at the National Health Systems Resource Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and held senior health systems and knowledge partnership roles with CARE India. Professor Roy has also served as Technical Officer for Surgery and Anaesthesia at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva and as Southeast Asia Regional Health Hub Lead at Oxford Policy Management. Most recently, he was Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Centre for Leadership at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. He has also contributed to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and the Lancet Commission on NCDs and Injuries in the Poorest Billion. Professor Roy already has strong links with The George Institute through his work in global surgery and trauma, including with the Institute’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Emergency, Critical and Operative Care. Professor Anushka Patel, Chief Executive Officer of The George Institute for Global Health, said Professor Roy’s breadth of experience would be a significant asset to the Institute. “Roy brings a rare combination of clinical, research, policy and health systems experience, together with a deep understanding of the health challenges facing communities in India and other resource-constrained settings. “His collaborative leadership and commitment to translating evidence into practice will be invaluable as we build on the achievements of our India office and shape the next phase of its contribution to better health.” Professor Roy said: “It is an honour to lead The George Institute, India and help shape its next phase of growth. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners to build on the Institute’s strengths, embrace new opportunities and deepen its impact in India and globally.” Professor Roy succeeds Professor Vivekanand Jha, who will remain at The George Institute as a Professorial Fellow in non-communicable diseases, with a focus on kidney diseases, environmental change and their medical and social determinants, including clinical trials. He will also continue contributing to training and capacity building at the Institute and beyond. Professor Patel thanked Professor Jha for his leadership: “We thank Vivek for his outstanding leadership and contribution to The George Institute over the past 13 years. Under his leadership, The George Institute, India has grown in reach, capability and influence. “We are delighted that he will remain an important part of the Institute as a research leader, mentor and advocate for translating evidence into better health.” Professor Jha said, “It has been an immense privilege to lead The George Institute, India over the past 13 years and to work alongside colleagues and partners deeply committed to improving health through research. I am proud of what we have achieved together and thankful to everyone who has contributed to the Institute’s growth and impact. I look forward to continuing our research program on NCDs, kidney diseases and their determinants, and contributing to capacity strengthening. “I wish Professor Roy every success as he takes the Institute forward.” Professor Roy took up the role on September 14, 2026. ( Disclaimer: This report is generated from PRO services. ‘ArdorComm Media’ holds no responsibility for its content. )