ISRO Chairperson felicitated by Pragjyotishpur University, interacts with students in Guwahati

An internationally renowned scientist, Dr Somanath led the team of scientists and engineers behind the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission of 2023 that helped India make history by becoming the first country to reach the moon's south pole. In September 2023, he and his team successfully launched India's first observation mission to the Sun, Aditya-L1.

Since the day of the programme coincided with Shilpi Divas, a lamp-lighting ceremony followed by garlanding of the image of the great artist Jyoti Prasad Agarwala formally opened the felicitation-cum-interaction programme.

Dr Somanath said, "Today we are talking about artificial intelligence (AI).....AI is around us. Every phone that you handle is actually learning you bit by bit. Every key that you use actually gives a signature of you into the system. They know who you are, and what are your tastes...Everything the computer knows. You may not know, your friends may not know but the computer system knows you better than your friends. It will also grow in the days to come, AI will start ruling many things here."

Students from different schools and colleges of the state witnessed the visionary scientist speak on India's bold foray into space exploration and the challenges thereof. Responding to student queries following his address, Dr Somanath noted that the future is bright for India space ventures.

During the programme, alongside Dr Somanath were other dignitaries Chancellor of Pragjyotishpur University, Prof. Pradeep Kumar Joshi; Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Smriti Kumar Sinha; the University's Registrar, Prof. Jogesh Kakati; President of the Organising Committee, Prof. Parimal Chandra Bhattacharya; and Prof. (Dr.) Nani Gopal Mahanta, Advisor, Education, Government of Assam. (ANI)