Digital Interaction Symposium 2025 (DIS-2025): Challenges to Solutions

ASIM TEWARI

Dr. Asim Tewari
Professor (HAG), Centre for Machine Intelligence and Data Science (C-MInDS)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India

The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has existed for more than seventy years, but for much of that time, it remained largely theoretical confined to the world of imagination rather than serious science. This perception shifted dramatically with the rise of deep learning over a decade ago. Since then, remarkable progress in machine learning has been achieved, powered by data driven algorithms, deep neural architectures, and the realization of large scale, fully connected networks. These breakthroughs have transformed nearly every domain engineering, science, linguistics, arts, social and behavioral sciences, economics, and medicine. In several pattern recognition and classification tasks, deep learning systems have even surpassed human performance. The advent of deep learning is arguably as transformative for modern society as the discovery of fire was for early humans, unlocking vast new frontiers of capability and innovation. However, alongside these immense opportunities come significant challenges ranging from ethical dilemmas to broader societal apprehensions. This talk offers an overview of the progress in AI and reflects on its profound potential as well as the concerns accompanying its rapid rise.